Only One
by ZeldinaDreamermoon
Summary: A flash of green blinded her. Katla was pulled forward. She stumbled and fell. Darkness surrounded her. She rose. She was standing in a corridor. "Laas Yah Nir," she whispered. Auras appeared before her inner eye. She started moving. 'Are those children' she wondered as she caught up with the other people in the caves. They couldn't be, could they?
1. There is another one?

Disclaimer: I obviously do not own The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Skyrim is owned by Bethesda Studios. Nor do I own The Lord of the Rings. I'm just a happy writer fooling around in these two universes.

* * *

There is another one?

Warm blood sprayed up covering her arms and chest as her sword sank deeper into Alduin's scaly neck. With heavy arms, she pulled the blade back out. A hiss passed her lips, and she dropped the sword. Hands flew up to pull her helmet off. Her face burned. A scream passed her lips. She fell to her knees.

"Katla."

The voice was distant. Too distant.

Katla's breath came in short forced bursts. A hand flew up and pressed against her ribs. Where was all that pain coming from? The dragon hadn't hurt her that badly. She looked down. Her eyes widened. What was going on? She screamed again as her body slowly changed. Her chest grew bigger. Her neck grew longer. A tail ripped out from her lower back. Her hoarse screams turned into roars. For the longest time, she just lay there quivering.

The pain subdued.

Big amber eyes opened once more. How long had it been? She stretched her long elegant body as she rose. She walked over to the cave opening. Hadn't she been in Sovngarde? An open field and a strange sky? She quickly shrugged the foreign thought off. She was hungry. Her emerald wings spread out on either side of her. A few powerful strokes brought her up into the air. Beneath her, hills rolled by. Lush green turned to bristled yellow as she left the deep rivers of the Reach. Small shapes caught her eyes every once in awhile, but they didn't interest her. She didn't feel like elk.

Then suddenly she pulled her wings in. The wind passed her head and filled her ears. She caught herself before the ground hit her and struck her prey down. The taste of warm blood filled her mouth. It tasted strange. She looked down. A choked scream passed her lips, and she woke up.

Katla jerked and sat up. She was breathing heavily.

"Same one again?"

Amber eyes looked up at the man sitting next to her. She forced herself to take a deep breath. He was fine. She hadn't just torn him to pieces and… She grimaced. She didn't want to think about it. "Yeah," she answered.

"You know it ain't gonna happen."

"I know Ra'shall." She shuddered. "Doesn't make it feel any less real."

Ra'shall offered her a concerned glance. He wondered where the nightmares were coming from. It wasn't like Katla. She'd never had this kind of problem before. "Here," he said as he handed her a cup. "It has some calmin' herbs in it. Hopefully, it'll help." He watched her drink the concoction down. Her eyelids dropped almost as soon as she had finished. He might not have been entirely honest with just how calming that drink had been. He, however, knew from experience that she wasn't likely to fall back to sleep on her own, and she had been dreaming a lot lately. She needed her sleep. He knew he couldn't give her that particular potion too often. It would be dangerous, but he would give it to her from time to time just so she got a chance to sleep.

He rose from her bedside. His tail waved back and forth behind him as he walked back to his own bed. Maybe he should talk to Rhavaniel about those dreams. The Arch-Mage might know something he didn't. ' _It might be worth it,'_ he thought as he lay down. He would do anything to get rid of those nightmares.

Ten years they had spent together. They had travelled the world. She had helped him confront his family, stuck-up as they were. She had saved his life so many times he'd stopped counting. She had even taken the fall for him… It had been the beginning. That's when she had first met Alduin, the World-Eater. Then she had been called by the Greybeards and declared the Dragonborn. It hadn't changed anything though. She might have been some kind of legendary hero, but he wasn't leaving her. They had done everything they could together. He had been there almost every step of the way. Except for the last part. He hadn't been able to go with her when she had left to confront Alduin. He wished he'd been able to go with her. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to, or that he'd been too injured. No, the dragon that had brought her to Skuldafn, where the gateway had been, could only bring one person.

To say he hadn't been happy would be an understatement.

He turned around, sighed, and closed his eyes. He needed to get some sleep too. He'd try to figure things out in the morning.

…

Light paws wandered around the dining hall the next morning. Ra'shall had been up with the sun. Bread was baking in the oven filling the house with its rich scent. He had needed something to do with his hands as his brain worked. Katla had been getting some rather horrid nightmares the past month or so. It had been several months since she defeated Alduin. He didn't see a correlation. She had killed plenty of dragons. Sure, Alduin had been the most powerful one, but why wouldn't she have shown signs earlier if it was because of that. "It has to be somethin' else," he muttered to himself.

"What has to be something else?"

Teal eyes met amber eyes. "I don't think your nightmares are natural," he said bluntly. He knew Katla well, and she hated it when people tried tiptoeing around her.

Katla crossed her arms. Her expression turned thoughtful. "You think someone is affecting me?" she asked.

"I think it's a possibility," Ra'shall said. "This ain't like you Katla. You are probably the most fearless person I know. This just feels off." He paused. "I think we should go see Rhavaniel. Maybe she'll notice somethin' I can't. She's a mage after all. I'm no good with magic and neither are you."

Katla chuckled. "You could say that again," she said. She sniffed the air. "I think the bread is done," she pointed out.

Ra'shall's ears twitched as he turned around to walk into the kitchen. He came back out a moment later with two golden brown loaves.

"You really know how to spoil a girl, don't you," Katla said with a smile.

Ra'shall raised an eyebrow. "I don't see no girl," he said as he placed the bread down on the dining table.

Katla snorted and then she started laughing.

Ra'shall let out a sigh of relief. It was good to hear her laugh. She couldn't be that affected by her nightmares if she laughed like that. He smiled. "Take a seat," he said. "I'll get some butter and jam. I think we have some milk too."

Katla sat down while Ra'shall walked back into the kitchen. She moved one of the loaves of bread and grabbed a knife. The crust cracked satisfactory as she cut down. Steam rose from the spongy inside. Katla took a deep breath. Newly baked bread was one of her favourite scents. Ra'shall handed her the butter. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Ra'shall responded. He sat down across from her, and she handed him a slice of buttered bread. The two of them ate in silence. Outside birds chirped happily. Their hens clucked, and once in awhile their cow mooed. It was peaceful.

"So, you think we should head off today?" Katla asked once she was full.

"I think that's best. You're gettin' those nightmares more often now," Ra'shall answered. "I'd rather have Rhavaniel take a look at you now than see what will happen later on. We don't know what they are tryin' to do, or if this is just you finally reactin' to everythin' that's been goin' on the past year."

"But you think this is coming from outside," Katla said.

"Sound more logical to me," Ra'shall said.

"I guess we should pack then," Katla said as she stood up. It had been several weeks since they last travelled. It would be nice to get out there again. She smiled as she lifted her horned helmet of the mannequin that held her armour. She had made the armour herself crafted from dragon bones and hide and laid with ebony plates. She had seen other designs that were completely made from dragon bone, but she didn't like them. To her, that design wasn't functional. It's big shoulder pads seemed completely useless as well as restraining, so she had constructed her own. She placed the helmet back. It would take some time to get into the armour, and she needed to pack first either way. She walked back to her bedroom and grabbed a backpack and some clean clothes.

It would be nice to see Rhavaniel again. She was a little… odd, but her heart was in the right place. The first time they had met her had been as they searched for the Elder Scroll they had needed to defeat Alduin. She had been an Adept at the College of Winterhold at the time. To find the Elder Scroll Katla and Ra'shall had needed help from the College Librarian Urag gro-Shub. Rhavaniel had stumbled out of a tower, smoke billowing out behind her. She had turned towards the door. "You moronic piece of Sabercat dung," she's shouted. "I told you not to add the powder."

Ra'shall hadn't been able to stop himself. Alchemy was his passion. "Potion gone wrong, eh?" he asked.

The irritated red-haired elf had turned towards him. "I don't see how that's any of your business, kitty," she spat.

Ra'shall didn't care about her attitude though. A little fire had never hurt him. "Oh, I don't know," he had said. "I'm a Master Alchemist. That might be why I'm askin'."

The redhead didn't get a chance to respond. Another person stumbled out of the tower. "You will never manage Rhavaniel," the man said. "Your ideas are simply insane."

"Oh, really," the elf responded. "If you would just have let me do it, we'd be fine, but you wanted all the glory so you botched it up." She clearly wasn't happy.

"You can't talk to me that way, girl," the man said. "You may be the Arch-Mage's favourite because you found the Eye, but that doesn't mean the rest of us has to bow to you."

"Jeez, calm down man," Ra'shall said.

"Stay out of this you mangy cat," the man hissed.

At that point, Katla had needed to step forward. "He isn't worth it," she told her friend as she placed a hand on his shoulder. She turned to the fiery elf. "Would you mind showing us the way to the Arcanaeum?" she asked calmly.

"As long as it gets me away from this arsehole."

They followed their guide into the main building and down a set of cramped stairs.

"Another explosion, Rhavaniel?" an elderly Orsimer asked.

"Yeah, Ternivir is being an idiot. He still won't let me do things on my own," Rhavaniel said.

"You surpassed him months ago," the Orsimer said. He shook his head. "Sometimes they make me wonder." His eyes narrowed as he saw the other two. "Well, well are you here to see old Urag gro-Shub?" he asked.

Katla nodded. "Yes, I need to speak to you about the Elder Scrolls," she said.

Urag's expression turned distant for a moment. "I think I can find you what you need," he said after a while. Katla wandered off with the Orsimer while Ra'shall stayed back with the elf. "So you're studyin' to become an Alchemy Master?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "I could do with a better Master though. Not that the College can offer me one. They don't think Alchemy is classed as magical knowledge for some reason. I don't care how they class it. I want to learn. It isn't like they can teach me anything else." She sighed.

"As I said, I am a Master Alchemist and the College does recognise me, as does the Masters' Enclave," Ra'shall said. "I wouldn't mind takin' a look at what you have to offer." He smirked. "If you're lucky, you might not even need more studies."

"Ra'shall I'm leaving!"

Ra'shall turned to Katla. "Are you comin' back here?" he asked.

"Yeah," Katla said. "I need to take a swim in the Sea of Ghosts, and this is the closest warm place afterwards so I'll be back."

"I'll wait for you here," Ra'shall said. "I have an obligation as a Master to educate this student hungerin' for knowledge."

Katla had snorted and laughed, but she hadn't said anything about it. "I'll see you later," she had called before leaving.

As far as she knew Ra'shall had put Rhavaniel through the ringer. He had made sure she knew what she was doing. Then he had asked her to show him something new. The potion hadn't exploded that time, and Ra'shall had happily declared her a Master. She had been mostly self-taught just like he himself had.

They had met Rhavaniel again later. She had asked for their aid. She'd needed to find the Staff of Magnus so she could control the Eye of Magnus. Neither Katla nor Ra'shall really cared all that much about the Eye, but they didn't mind helping her out. It had turned out to be rather important since the Eye apparently was powerful enough to destroy the world or at least a good chunk of Tamriel.

Rhavaniel had become the Arch-Mage since the old Arch-Mage had died trying to contain the Eye, and she was one of the few mages still alive with multiple Masteries. She was also one of their oldest members. Not that most of the other member knew she'd been around for over a hundred years. She was an elf after all. She didn't look a day over twenty-two though. That was probably why people tended to not take her seriously.

Katla fastened the last strap that held her armour in place. She fasted her quiver to her backpack. Then she picked up her improvised sheet for her sword. The blade was a little long for a regular sheet. She wouldn't be able to draw the sword the way one normally would. She had worked that out though. Once she was geared up properly, she headed downstairs. Ra'shall had packed food. He added some of the food packs to Katla's bag. "I packed some extra just in case," he said. "You never know what could happen."

"True," Katla said. "Have you talked to the family down the hill?" she asked.

There used to be bandits living in Pinewatch next door, but they had tried robbing Katla and Ra'shall one too many times. Bandits didn't go there anymore so a small family had moved in. It, strangely enough, was safer to live in Pinewatch than the nearby towns. Most people knew that Katla and Ra'shall were more dangerous than guards.

"Yeah, I told 'em we'll be gone for a while. They'll take care of the animals for us," Ra'shall said.

The family had been a little nervous when Ra'shall and Katla left in the beginning, but these days they knew they wouldn't be in any danger. It could have something to do with the Thieves Guild. Ra'shall was the leader of the Thieves. Most bandits knew to keep away from him. Both their house and Pinewatch were marked as untouchable. Thieves knew to stay away.

They locked the house up and headed off. It was early autumn. The leaves were slowly turning yellow. It was a good time to travel. Winter would be coming up soon enough, but hopefully, they would be somewhere warmer by then.

They passed by Riverwood, a small town by the White River, around midday.

"Katla!"

The Nord warrior turned around. She sighed. "Yes, Sigrid," she said calmly.

"A pack of wolves has been stalking the town. Will you please help us?" Sigrid asked.

"Sure, we'll deal with it as we go," Katla said. She knew arguing with Sigrid wouldn't lead to anything. She couldn't understand why some people couldn't just go to the guards. They knew how to deal with wolves. People didn't have to ask her. Just because she had dealt with Alduin that didn't mean people had to come to her with every little thing. There were others who could deal with most of those problems. What really irritated her was when people asked her to do things they should be able to do themselves.

"You really should just tell people no," Ra'shall said.

"I know but she gets impossible, and it isn't like it is going to make a difference," Katla said. "I'm not going to kill the wolves. I highly doubt they are actually troubling her, and if they are the guards will deal with them."

"So you lied to her?" Ra'shall with a grin.

"Yeah, I do that sometimes with people like her," Katla said. "It isn't my job to fix their problems."

"I have taught you well," Ra'shall said dramatically. Then he started laughing.

Whiterun silhouetted against the setting sun. The city looked dark and looming in front of the bright light. They had decided to avoid the city. The Jarl would try to get them to stay for a few days and they didn't really want to deal with it. The Jarl of Whiterun had always been kind to them, and they didn't want to be rude. Therefore they chose to stay away from the city. That way he wouldn't know they had passed by.

The set camp just north of Whitewatch Tower, one of the guard towers protecting Whiterun.

"It's nice to be out again," Katla said. She had taken her armour off and was sitting in just her linen undergarments. They had gotten a fire going and would fry up some rabbit and potatoes.

"I fully agree," Ra'shall said. "You've locked yourself up for way too long. We're not meant to sit in some house somewhere. Sure, it's nice to have a place to call home, but we're wanderers. We don't belong in a cosy little house with a rose garden. Can you imagine livin' that way for the rest of your life?"

Katla chuckled. "No, I guess you're right," she said. "It doesn't feel like us."

They ate in silence.

In the sky above the moon rose high. Strange shadows reached out over the ground. The fields were coated in grey.

A chill filled the air. It wasn't summer anymore that much was clear. It smelled crisp and clean if the smoke from the fire didn't blow up in your face. A nearby bush rustled and a hedgehog came hustling out. It was time to go into hibernation soon. He or she was probably trying to get some last minute food gathering done. Amber eyes followed the little creature. A small smile played on her lips. It was the little things that made everything worthwhile. Just seeing something small like the hedgehog trying to survive made her think. It also made her happy. If the small things could survive and take care of themselves then humans and mers didn't really have an excuse.

The fire burned down as Ra'shall and Katla went to sleep. Overhead, clouds rolled in. The next day would be grey. A soft wind blew in from the south bringing some lost summer heat from Cyrodiil with it.

The next morning didn't really dawn. The clouds covered the sky like a blanket. A thick woolly blanket.

Katla and Ra'shall continued north along the road to Eastmarch. It was nearing midday or so when they met a small caravan heading south. They had nearly passed it by when they heard a shout.

"Wait!"

They turned around. A man bearing the typical courier's uniform came walking up to them from the caravan. "Are you Katla and Ra'shall?" he asked as he reached them.

"Yes," Katla answered.

"I have a message here for you, from Rhavaniel," the courier said as he dug through his bag. He pulled out a letter and handed it to Katla.

"What could she want?" Ra'shall mused out loud.

Katla opened the letter up and read through it quickly. "She would like us to come to Solstheim and help her out… There is a ship waiting for us in the Windhelm harbour," she said.

"Well, I guess we're goin' then," Ra'shall said. "We'll have to refill in Windhelm first, but that's about it."

"Isn't Solstheim the Island off Skyrim that has an active volcano on it? The one that is a part of Morrowind really?" Katla asked.

"I think so," Ra'shall said. He shrugged. "I highly doubt that actually matters."

"Apart from the whole volcano thing. I'd rather not be there if the volcano decides to erupt," Katla said.

"Rhavaniel can probably tell us to get out before we get melted," Ra'shall said.

Katla rolled her eyes and smiled. She wasn't scared, but she couldn't fight lava with her weapons.

…

They arrived in Windhelm late the following day. Both of them felt the need to sleep before they went to sea so they entered Candlehearth Hall a grand Inn that took up most of the central square. It was a cosy place bathed in candlelight. There were quite a few travellers there, but it was past high season.

Ra'shall walked up to the owner, Elda, and paid for a room. They could get two rooms sure, but it felt unnecessary. Katla dumped her things off in their room, got out of her armour, and headed down to the baths. She didn't mind being out on the road, but she missed cleaning up on a regular basis. She and Ra'shall cleaned off whenever they got the chance. He was a Khajiit after all. His sense of smell was quite a lot better than hers. Dirt and sweat weren't his favourite scents. She sighed as she stepped into the warm water. Slowly, she undid the plait she kept her hair in while travelling. It kept her hair out of the way. Long, brown locks fell down her back. She kneeled down so she could wash her hair out.

The bath was empty except for Katla. She appreciated that. She didn't mind company, but it was nice to be alone. She got up and dried off before getting dressed in a simple green linen dress. When she got back to their room, she noticed that Ra'shall had been out and bought some food. He must have caught the very last of the market.

The door opened. "I got us some dinner," Ra'shall said as she entered with a tray in his hands. He placed it down on a heavy oak table. "I'll take a bath first though."

"It'll get cold," Katla said.

"Yeah, probably but I'd rather clean up than have perfectly warm food," Ra'shall said his nose scrunching and his ears folding back. He grabbed a change of clothes and headed back out of the room.

Katla settled down by the table. Ra'shall had brought bowls of thick vegetable soup and heavy bread. There was some dried venison as well. It was a little salty but not that bad. Ra'shall returned not much later his fur still slightly damp. "That's better," he said with a sigh as he sat down.

"I guess we should pack our armours. I highly doubt we need them on at sea," Katla said.

"You're probably right," Ra'shall said between bites.

Katla rose from her chair. She figured she might as well treat the armours before they packed them. She grabbed what she needed and headed outside. Ra'shall had some problems with the oils she used while she worked with them, but he liked what they did for his armour. The scent disappeared as the oils dried into the leather so it didn't bother him then.

It was a clear night. The clouds that had covered the sky the previous day had travelled south. They could use some rain down there.

Skyrim, where they lived, was the northernmost country in Tamriel. It was the home of the Nords a hardy people with thick skin that didn't care much about the cold. These days many Dunmer lived there too since their homeland Morrowind was having some volcanic problems. Cyrodiil to the south was the centre of the continent, but Katla found it uninteresting. The fields bored her. She didn't really feel like going back there ever. If they ever travelled south again, she'd rather go east by Hammerfell. Sure the Orsimer were unfriendly, but if you were strong enough they didn't bother you.

Katla finished working the armours over. She headed back inside. They would have to get up early the following morning. Ships preferred going out with the morning tide.

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when they rose the next morning. The made their way through the Gray Quarters down to the docks. They passed a few fishermen mending their nets. A group of sailors were grouped together down at the far end of the docks.

"Mornin' fellas," Ra'shall said. "We're lookin' for passage to Solstheim. Any of you goin' over that way?"

The men looked at each other. "I can't go. I'll lose too much," one of them said.

"I might be going back," a gruff voice said from behind them. "It depends on who you are."

They turned towards a weather-worn Nord. "I'm Ra'shall and this here is Katla," Ra'shall said.

The man nodded slowly. "Then I'm your ride," he said. "A rather… odd, mer girl paid me to bring you over."

"That would be Rhavaniel," Katla said.

"Might, might not, I don't get paid fully until I bring you over," the captain said. "We should leave now. I don't want to miss the tide."

"Of course," Ra'shall said.

They followed the captain on board his ship.

"How long will it take us?" Ra'shall asked.

"Two maybe three days depending on the wind," the captain said.

"We don't mind rowin' if the wind doesn't hold," Ra'shall said.

"That's good," the captain said. "The men don't like dealing with landwalkers who don't understand that life on the sea can be rough."

"We're not at home at sea that's true, but we don't fear some hard work if necessary," Ra'shall said. "It's probably better if we stay out of the way unless you really need our help though."

The captain laughed. "That's understandable," he said. Then he turned to his crew. "Cast off. Let's get out of this port!" he shouted.

There was a bit of hustling going on as they left the city behind. As they got out to sea, however, everything calmed down. It wasn't that big a vessel so the crew was rather small. Ra'shall noticed several of the men leering at Katla. They were sex deprived Nords, and there she was. He smirked internally. The crew of this boat might be well-travelled men, but they had never met a woman quite like Katla. He wasn't worried about her. She could take any of these men on and win.

The first day was calm and the wind brought them far. The second day the wind had changed. It was still bringing them forward, but it was going much slower.

"If this continues we'll take to the oars tomorrow," the captain told Ra'shall.

"Fully understandable captain," Ra'shall said. He wasn't that fond of travel by sea. All that water made him just a little queasy. His eyes followed the foam on top of the small waves the boat was leaving behind. After a while, he curled up and fell asleep. Hours later the Khajiit woke up suddenly. It was dark apart from the lanterns. He turned around slowly and stretched. Katla was lying asleep not far away from him. He stood up slowly. He really needed to walk around some. He felt all stiff. He noticed that the captain had fallen asleep. He stopped to watch the moons. All Khajiit had a special bond with the moons; they played a big part in their birth.

"Put that back in your pants or I'll send you overboard!"

Ra'shall turned around. Katla was standing with two of the crewmen in front of her. It looked like she had stood up in a hurry. Her blanket was still clinging to her.

One of the men laughed. "Oh, right girl," he said. "You will throw me over."

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. The guy really should have taken her seriously. The splash when he hit the water woke up the captain.

"You should probably throw him a rope," Katla called. "Unless you want to lose him out there. He has probably cooled down by now."

"You ... vindictive …" The guy was shaking as his fellow crew members helped him up and handed him a blanket.

"You only have yourself to blame, Jeremy. She did warn you," one of his friends said.

The soaked man grumbled. No one else bothered Katla after that.

Thankfully the following day dawned bright and clear and with a strong wind blowing them closer and closer to Solstheim. The pulled into the harbour slightly after midday. "I hope you can help your friend deal with what's going on here," the captain said. "She said she would fix things, but well..."

"We'll see what we can do," Ra'shall said. "This isn't our first time. If my companion can kill Alduin, she can deal with this as well I'm sure."

The captain did a doubletake. "You are the Dragonborn?" he asked turning to Katla for the first time.

"Some call me that," Katla said with a shrug.

The man who had tried to have a bit of … fun with her looked green as he realised just who he had messed with.

"Good luck then, I guess," the captain said.

"Thank you and good sailin'" Ra'shall responded. He and Katla headed up towards the town. The ground was covered in ash. The houses looked like turtle shells or insect carapaces made from sandstone. The guards wore armour made from some kind of shell. Katla had seen similar when they had travelled through Morrowind years ago, but it wasn't quite the same. Probably because the creatures they used were different.

"Ra'shall! Katla!"

Katla turned around. A smile played on her lips. "Hello Rhavaniel," she said.

"You came here quickly," Rhavaniel said. "I thought it would take over a week for you to get here."

"We were headin' to the College of Winterhold when your courier found us," Ra'shall said.

"You were?" Rhavaniel said surprised. "How come?"

"You have somewhere private to talk?" Ra'shall asked. He didn't feel like letting the whole town know what they had to say.

"Sure, this way," Rhavaniel said. She led them up a street passed several shops and a blacksmith up to the far end of the town where a house stood a bit secluded off. "They gave me this place after I help them deal with some stuff. An ancient general was back from the dead, I cleaned up the local mine, and I helped with some political problems. They gave me this house once I had clear that up. There is a Word Wall down in the mine. You might want to go down there Katla." She took a deep breath and sat down at a table in the entrance hall. The house had a rather strange design. The entrance was horse-shoed around a staircase down to a lower level and that was all there was above ground.

"So why did you want us to come here?" Ra'shall asked. "I'm guessin' that is the most pressin' question right now."

"Well," Rhavaniel said. She turned slightly in her chair and grabbed a piece of paper. "Some time ago, I was travelling. I came across these really strange men. I tried talking to them, but they weren't very talkative. They were looking for you though, Katla." She handed the paper to the brunette.

"Board the vessel Northern Maiden docked at Raven Rock," Katla read. "Take it to Windhelm, then begin your search. Kill the false Dragonborn known as Katla before she has a chance to reach Solstheim."

"Well, that's nice," Ra'shall said sarcastically. "What have we ever done to them?"

"As far as I have understood Miraak sent them, and he is some kind of Dragon Priest or so. I decided to go here alone to scout things out. You guys deserved some downtime. Lately, it has gotten a little out of hand though. I could probably handle it alone, but I think that Katla at least has a right to know about this place," Rhavaniel said. "Miraak calls himself a Dragonborn. I'm not sure that's what he is, but that's why he calls Katla false. He works with Hermaeus Mora. I found one of the infamous Black Books in the mines too."

"I'm not touching those," Katla said.

"Yeah, I know," Rhavaniel said. "I'll deal with those. I've already sold my soul to Mora either way. I haven't found that much information on Miraak. What I have found out that he has a temple on the Island. I've avoided it. I think we should all go there together."

"Probably a good idea," Ra'shall said.

"So," Rhavaniel said, "why did you want to see me?"

"Katla's been havin' nightmares for several weeks now. She wakes up screamin'. It ain't like her, and I'd like you to take a look because I think that she's bein' affected from outside," Ra'shall said. "I could be wrong, but I'd like for you to check."

"Sure," Rhavaniel said. She moved up closer to Katla and reached up placing her hands on the brunette's temples. Her violet eyes closed slowly. She reached out with her magic.

Ra'shall rose from his chair. He figured the women would probably be busy for a while so he might as well make them some food. Strangely enough, the kitchen area was up there in the half-moon entrance hall. Dunmer were just a bit strange sometimes. He opened some jars, but there wasn't anything in them he dared use.

"There it is!" Rhavaniel exclaimed suddenly. She tilted her head to the side and looked to be deep in thought for a moment. "I think you are going to have to help me," she told Katla. "I can't enchant. At least I'm not good at it, but I think the best way of dealing with this would be placing an enchantment on something."

"Do you have any metal to work with here?" Katla asked.

"Yes, there is silver and gold downstairs. There is also a fully functional forge, an enchanting table and an alchemy station," Rhavaniel said.

"I guess I can make a thin circlet," Katla said. "It's not really my thing, but I think that would work the best."

"Probably," Rhavaniel said.

"Before you ladies go down and deal with that, how 'bout some food?" Ra'shall asked.

"Yes, please I'm famished," Rhavaniel said. She cleared the table off so they could sit there and eat.

"You have been doing some research, haven't you?" Katla commented. There was a lot of scribbled notes in the pile of things the elf had moved.

"They have some really interesting creatures on this island," Rhavaniel said. "I've been…"

"That's great," Katla said with a pained smile. She liked Rhavaniel, but she didn't feel like listening to her dissection stories as they ate.

"Oh, yeah, maybe not now," Rhavaniel said as she looked at the plate Ra'shall placed down in front of her. She wasn't squeamish herself, but she could see how some of the things she liked talking about wasn't great dinner conversation.

"There is another Dragonborn here then?" Katla asked as they ate.

"If you want to call him that," Rhavaniel said. "I'm not too sure, but then again it is hard to say. He's doing something to the people of this island. There is a strange spire just west of the city. People walk around out there. I still don't know why. There are Dragon Cultists around though."

"I guess we'll figure it out as we go," Ra'shall said. "Though, I think I'll take a look as you work on that enchanted circlet later. Maybe I can at least get some more information out people."

"It's possible I guess," Rhavaniel said. "You are better at hiding than I am after all."

Once they had finished eating Rhavaniel and Katla headed downstairs while Ra'shall left the house. Katla walked around the forge. There was still some glow in it but it wasn't anywhere near enough heat for her to work. " _ **Yol,"**_ she almost whispered. A fiery cloud left there and hit the forge. Dragon fire worked wonders, but it would still take time.

"I have some firesalts would you like me to throw them in?" Rhavaniel asked.

Katla shook her head. "No, firesalt and dragon breath creates all kind of problems when you mix them. Last time I tried it exploded in my face," she said. "You might as well go back to your research. This is going to take a while."

"Sure, just let me know when we can enchant. I think we want Miraak staying out of your head as soon as possible," Rhavaniel said.

"We're two on that," Katla said as she watched the flames. She heard Rhavaniel walk off, but her focus was on getting the forge up and running. Orange and licking yellow, the flames danced in the forge. Now, Katla could probably have used only the melter, but she didn't have any moulds. She would have to hammer the silver so the forge made more sense. She also wanted to take a look at Rhavaniel's armour. The elf had a dragon scale armour plated with moonstone. It was a much lighter armour than the one Katla herself wore. It was once again Katla's own design. The common elven armour was more flamboyant than practical. It wasn't to Rhavaniel's preference at all.

Katla grabbed the hammer. She weighed it. ' _Good enough,'_ she thought. It wasn't quite as good as her own tolls, but it would do. She found a piece of silver and stuck it in the flames. The impurities crackled and popped. She would have to work those out.

The hammer rose and fell. The bell-like sound rang through the house. Katla smiled softly. She liked working metal. It was calming. She took her time. She might not care much for a circlet, but she wasn't going to turn out subpar work just because of that. Once she felt satisfied she cooled the metal down. She would need to polish it to truly be happy with it, but she was almost done now.

"Rhavaniel!" Katla called once she felt like there wasn't much more she could do.

"Coming!" Rhavaniel called back. It took a bit of time before the Bosmer showed up. Her hair was wild. She must have been running her hands through it a lot. "Time to enchant then," she said.

"Yes," Katla said and they headed over to the enchanting table. The two ladies put their heads together so they could enchant the circlet.

"Hopefully this works now," Rhavaniel said as Katla put the circlet on. "It should of course, but you never know." She yawned. "It's probably time to go to bed," she said.

"Sounds like a good idea," Katla responded. She was exhausted.


	2. Tower of Miraak

Tower of Miraak

Ra'shall yawned and stretched. He rubbed his face in an attempt to wake up properly. He rose from his bed. Katla's bed was empty. He wasn't surprised. He'd gotten back rather late the night before. It was quiet. His ears moved around trying to pick up nearby noise. He could hear the fire crackling in the forge, apart from that there was nothing. The ladies must have gone out. Rhavaniel was incapable of being quiet even if she was concentrating on something really hard. She was always mumbling to herself. Katla was harder. She could be so quiet he wouldn't know she was around if she wanted to.

He headed up to the kitchen area. There was a note on the table. ' _Ah, they headed out so Katla could take a look at the Word Wall Rhavaniel found,'_ he thought as he read the note. He fixed himself some breakfast. He'd spent quite a bit of time the day before trying to figure out what was going on. The locals seemed forgetful. He wondered if Miraak was doing that somehow.

The front door opened, and Ra'shall grabbed the handle of one of his daggers. He relaxed as Katla walked in the door. "Morning Vulkaaz," she said. "How did it go yesterday?"

"I 'now Cultists rather die than give you info," Ra'shall said. "Miraak is messin' with people. I'm sure you've noticed Rhavaniel." He turned to the mer. "People around the pillar out west are basically mindless puppets."

"Yes, something strange is going on over there," Rhavaniel said. "I haven't really paid it that much mind. Most people are mindless all the time. It doesn't make that much of a difference. At least they are doing something useful."

Katla shook her head amused. "They're helping Miraak, Rhavaniel," she pointed out.

Rhavaniel tilted her head to the side. "When you put it that way maybe we should do something about it," she said. She didn't sound too concerned, though. "We'll go to the tower first, though, right?"

"There is nothin' we can do about the pillar right now," Ra'shall said. "I don't like leavin' it behind us, but I think we're more likely to find things out if we go to the tower."

It was early still. Most people hadn't left their houses. The shops hadn't opened yet. The three outsiders moved through town quickly. The passed the bulwark that protected the city of Raven Rock from the ash clouds that would blow around the island.

The guards nodded stiffly at them when they passed the main gate.

"This place looks so sad," Katla said. It was the first time she got a chance to see anything but the town since arriving on Solstheim. There were barely any plants, and the ground was grey with ash. People had tried building but nothing seemed to have held up. They followed a makeshift road past a destroyed house. As they walked, Katla noticed more and more plants. The grass was dull and harsh. There was a big leafed plant that spread in dark red, but everything seemed to have a layer of ash on it. The grey tone dirtied any colour the plants might try to show.

"Where are we goin' really?" Ra'shall asked after a while. "I couldn't get a straight answer out of anyone in town."

Rhavaniel closed her eyes for a moment as she channelled a spell. She opened her eyes again. "That way," she said pointing up a hill to the north. "I'll keep us walking the right way. Don't worry about it."

They started heading up the hill Rhavaniel had been pointing towards. As they walked, Ra'shall turned his head at a bluish glow. "They brought netch here?" he asked upon seeing the tentacled flying creature. They were a form of cattle common in Morrowind.

"Obviously," Rhavaniel said. "I don't know how good this environment is for them though. Aren't they a bit pale?"

"I don't know Rhavaniel. I'm not that good with animal health," Ra'shall said.

"Before you guys start arguing," Katla said. "How about you tell me if those insects are going to attack?" She pointed towards a sizable long-legged creature.

"The ash hoppers? They are fairly aggressive, but they really can't hurt you that badly. And as far as I have been able to determine they aren't poisonous in anyway," Rhavaniel said as she conjured a bow. She killed the hoppers with a few well-aimed shots. "They do produce a type of jelly that has healing properties, though."

"Really?" Ra'shall said clearly interested.

Katla smiled as the other two started talking plants native to the island that could be used in alchemy. She led them forward as the sun rose higher. The thick ash dampened the sound of their footsteps. It put Katla on edge. She knew that they might not be alone, and their steps not being heard meant they wouldn't hear other people either. Ra'shall and Rhavaniel were making enough noise that anyone in the surrounding area would be able to locate them. It wasn't them ending up in a fight that bothered her. She knew both Ra'shall and Rhavaniel would react instantly if that happened. She just didn't like not knowing if there was someone else out there or not.

She heard a crackling sound as if someone had tried setting moist wood on fire. Her hand moved to her sword. A spriggan stepped out from behind a tree. It wasn't like any other spriggan Katla had ever seen. Its wooden skin was reddish and burnt. She spun to the side as a spray of fire was shot her way. She took a quick step forward and with a powerful cleave she cut the being's head off.

"Oh, spriggan!" Rhavaniel exclaimed. She almost bounced forward and started pulling certain pieces of wood off the body.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Ra'shall said. He smirked mildly. It was amusing watching Rhavaniel scurry about.

"I'll continue ahead. Maybe I'll find something else she can obsess over," Katla said.

"Just don't go far," Ra'shall said. "We haven't seen anythin' too bad so far, but we don't know what might be lurking ahead."

Katla waved him off. She wasn't worried. Unless she ran straight into Miraak, she wasn't in any danger. With her sword in her hand, she headed up another hill. A makeshift camp had been set up. Katla saw someone moving around. "Hey!" she called out. She immediately regretted opening her mouth. ' _Great,'_ she thought sarcastically as two men and a woman tried to surround her. They all had their weapons drawn and tried to look menacing. "If you just go back to yours, I won't have to kill you," Katla said.

"Oh, I don't think you'll be doing any killing," one of the men said. He had a rather nasty grin on his face. He struck out with his two-handed blade. Katla caught the sword with her own blade leaving a deep dent. She pushed him off and backed away as an arrow flew by. "Ra'shall!" she called. She raised her sword and started walking forward. She caught the swordsman's blade again, spun and hit him with the pommel of her sword. He staggered back. Behind her, Ra'shall had stuck a knife in the archer.

"Oh, no you don't," Rhavaniel said before bolts of lightning shot out of her hands.

Katla lined her sword up and stabbed straight through the swordsman's armour. "You should have just stayed in your camp," she said calmly before pulling her sword back out of his chest.

Ra'shall moved over to the camp and looked over some of the animals they had killed for food. He picked some of them down. There was no point in leaving them there to go bad. "We better stick together," he said. "People don't seem too friendly around here," he said.

"You don't say," Rhavaniel said.

They passed over yet another hill and between the trunks of some dead trees they saw ruins. Stairs led up to broken stone arches.

"Dragon skeletons," Katla said as she pointed ahead.

"Think the bones can still be used?" Ra'shall asked.

"Maybe," Katla answered. "I'll check if we get time."

As they got closer, they noticed that someone must have been repairing the stairs and the arches. There were wooden support structures holding stone blocks in place. Even further up they saw more of the mindless workers they had seen around the pillar back at Raven Rock. Judging by the clothes most of them were bandits.

"Should we put them out of their misery?" Rhavaniel asked.

"Leave 'em," Ra'shall said. "Once we've dealt with this they'll have a chance to live again. If they get in our way then, we can deal with 'em."

The centre structure was surrounded by scaffolding. They climbed up it passing by even more bandits. Pillars rose around a central dome. Slowly, Katla walked down to the dome. "Stay behind me. Keep my back free if need be," she said. She loosened her sword. In the distance, it sounded like a woman calling. Was she talking to someone?

Rhavaniel raised her bow as a woman walked in towards the centre of the dome. Katla approached the Nord carefully. She didn't seem affected like the rest of the people there.

"You there," she called. "What brings you to this place? Why are you here?"

Katla let go of her sword and motioned for Ra'shall to stand down. "I'm Katla," she responded cautiously. "Who are you?"

The Blonde Nord folded her arms over her chest. "I am Frea of the Skaal," she said. "I am here to either save my people or avenge them."

"They have been taken by whatever mind-control has affected so many people on the island?" Katla asked.

"As you say," Frea said. "I do not know what has caused this, but it forces them to help work on these horrible creations that corrupt the Stones, the very land itself." She looked over Katla's shoulder. "Friends of yours?" she asked.

Katla glanced back. Ra'shall and Rhavaniel had come down the stairs and joined them in the dome. "Yes," she said. "We came here to see if we can find out why Miraak wants me dead."

"Miraak? My father Storn, our shaman, says Miraak has returned to Solstheim, but I thought that couldn't be possible," Frea said.

"I found this on a set of Cultists," Rhavaniel said. She pulled out the note she'd shown Katla with the kill order on it to the blonde.

"This is strange," Frea said. "I didn't believe…" She studied their faces for a moment. "It would seem we all have a reason to see what lies in the Temple beneath us."

"We are glad to accept your help and we will aid you in return," Katla said.

"Good," Frea said. "We need to find a way into the temple below."

Ra'shall had snuck off mid-conversation. He was sure he'd heard something. ' _Hello,'_ he thought as he found a pair of cultists. He pulled his sword from his belt and coated it with poison. Then he moved forward quickly and cut the two men down. Even if his cuts were not lethal, the poison was. He returned to the others as Katla agreed to help Frea. "So who's Miraak?" he asked.

"His story is as old as Solstheim itself," Frea responded as they started moving down a ramp that hopefully led into the temple. "He served the dragons before their fall from power, as most did. A priest in their order."

"So I was right," Rhavaniel said. "He isn't really a Dragonborn. He is a Dragon Priest."

"He was," Frea said with a nod. "Until he turned against them. He made his own path, and his actions cost him dearly. The stories say he sought to claim Solstheim for himself, and the dragons destroyed him for it."

"So accordin' to legend he died," Ra'shall said. "It's been a lot of that lately."

They reached a heavy stone door. Frea reached out and pushed it open.

"You mentioned the Stones. What did you mean?" Rhavaniel asked.

"The Stones like the Tree Stone that stand above us are ancient stones of power that serve as a connection to the All-Maker. The Tree Stone represents one of the aspects of nature, a part of the All-Maker's creation," Frea said. "There are others around the Island. I fear for what has happened to them…"

They passed by several rooms that led to nowhere. Ra'shall walked a few steps ahead of the group his ears on high alert. The women quieted down. There would be time for talk later. Ra'shall moved to the side and signalled to Katla and Rhavaniel. The two of them readied their bows. There were enemies on the way. The two cultists had barely shown themselves when they fell back arrows sticking out of their foreheads.

Frea watched as the three companions moved forward through the next few rooms methodically taking out any danger on the way. "You have dealt with things like this before," she said.

"A few times," Katla answered. She looked over at Ra'shall. "Is it safe to have something to eat?" she asked.

The Khajiit thought the question over. "Not really, but we need to get somethin' in us," he said.

"A quick meal then," Katla said as Rhavaniel pulled off her backpack. She handed out some fruit, bread and dried meat for everyone.

"You come prepared," Frea said. "That is a good sign."

"As Katla said, this isn't our first cave excursion," Rhavaniel said almost a little hauntingly.

Katla rolled her eyes. It was really easy to get on the redhead's bad side sometimes. They drank some water, and then they headed down to a heavy iron gate. Katla grabbed a ring and chain lock and pulled. The metal screeched against the stone.

Cages hung from the ceiling in the next room. Some even contained skeletons. Frea walked forward. "I do not wish to imagine the kinds of things that happened in this chamber. Who were the poor souls trapped in these cages?" she said. "What tortures did they suffer at Miraak's hands? Was it in service to the dragons, or for his own purposes?"

"Who knows," Katla said. "All we can do now is make sure it doesn't happen again."

Frea sighed. "I guess you're right," she said. She placed her hands on the railing in front of her and looked down. A staircase spiralled further into the temple.

"There are people comin'," Ra'shall said.

"I'll deal with them," Rhavaniel said. She walked up to the railing. Magic swirled out around her.

Katla smiled softly. She placed a new arrow against the bowstring. Next, to her, Frea followed her example. "Rhavaniel can be a little difficult to get to know," Katla said softly. "Don't take anything she says too personally." She aimed down the stairs as Rhavaniel released her spell. A blizzard swept down the stairs slowing the cultists down.

Katla released her arrow striking the first cultist in the chest. She heard a rumble and looked up. Across the room, sarcophaguses fell open. "Ra'shall we have draugr incoming," she called shifting her bow. The Khajiit jumped across the gap as he drew his sword. The first draugr staggered before he even reached it. One of Katla's arrows was sticking out of its shoulder. Ra'shall slashed the first draugr across the chest before jamming his dagger into the heart of the next one. He spun around and cut the head off his first enemy. "Dead," he stated to the ladies.

"So are these," Katla said as she came walking around the gap. "Did you have to freeze the stairs?" she asked Rhavaniel. The steps were frozen. It didn't bother her really, but it seemed a little over the top. She moved over and started heading down. She led them down to draugr crypts. "Keep your eyes open. These guys tend to rise from the dead," she said softly. She loosened her sword and removed it from its scabbard. She was the one walking first now.

"There are a lot of Lords here," Ra'shall said softly as he scanned the room. Rubble lay everywhere. Walls had collapsed in. In places, there were still traces of a carpet that had covered the floor. It felt cramped and there were open coffins and mummified bodies strewn around as if they hadn't had time to bury everyone. Up front, Katla cut down a draugr.

"They are coming from everywhere," Frea said. She raised her bow and fired an arrow.

"Just keep killin' them," Ra'shall said. "They'll run out eventually."

Katla parried and cut another undead down. Then she hissed as a blade cut into her arm. She turned her blade and cut the man down. "Damn this," she hissed. " _ **Zun Haal Viik,"**_ she shouted tearing the weapons out of the draugrs' hands. Then she made quick work of the scrambling undead.

"How bad is it?" Ra'shall asked once the draugr were dead. He knew she'd gotten hurt. He could see the blood on the floor.

"It's not that deep," Katla said. She placed her sword on her back before unbuckling her gauntlet. She studied the cut. It was shallow. The dragon hide had taken most of the blow.

"You should try Stalhrim," Frea said.

"Stalhrim?"

"You should talk to our blacksmith," Frea said. "He can explain it better than I can."

Katla smiled. "That would be interesting," she said. "This is good though. Nothing is perfect, but this is enchanted to mend," Katla said.

"Here," Rhavaniel said as she handed Katla a phial. "I should have given it to you earlier. It's filled with healing potion that also cures most poisons out of your system."

"That's a white phial ain't it?" Ra'shall said. "So, you helped the old man, and the legend was true."

"Yes, I had some time to spare so I decided to help him. This isn't that White Phial though. I made this one myself. It's yours now Katla. I have one for you too Ra'shall," she said. She handed Katla the first phial and then she pulled out the second phial from her pack and handed it to Ra'shall.

"Thank you," Katla said.

"They refill. Though, it takes a whole day for it to refill fully. You definitely don't need to empty it to heal anything but major wounds," Rhavaniel said.

"Can you empty it into another bottle?" Katla asked.

"Yes, but you shouldn't need to," Rhavaniel answered.

"No, I got that, but it might be useful someday," Katla said. She drank a gulp from the bottle. Then she gave it to Ra'shall so he could put it into her pack. "We might as well keep going. There is no use in staying here any longer."

Ra'shall led them onwards. His ears shifted as he tried to listen. Frea moved up next to him. "Whoa, fire trap!" he called out before pulling the blonde Nord back. She had triggered a pressure plate that closed a door and made fire shoot out in front of it.

"Thank you," Frea said.

"No problem," Ra'shall said.

As the flames died down, Katla walked forward. She pushed the door open. Swinging blade traps fell from the walls. The brunette sighed. "I'll go across and see if I can't find something that will turn these off," she said. " _ **Tiid Klo Ul,"**_ she shouted and the blades slowed down. She hurried through the corridor. A single lever opened the gate to the next room and stopped the blades. The others followed quickly behind her.

They pulled another lever and opened yet another gate. A bridge fell. "Watch out for those pressure plates," Ra'shall told Frea as he pointed out a set of differently coloured rocks on the floor.

Ramps fell down as they entered the room. Katla, Ra'shall and Rhavaniel split up between the three enemies that appeared. Katla parried the blow of a draugr lord. She moved so Frea could get a clear shot at him. Ra'shall had gone after the other draugr lord. He dodged arrow after arrow as he made his way closer. Chillrend, his blade, left its sheath, and he slashed at his enemy. In the centre, Rhavaniel was facing off against a cultist. The cultist raised a magic shield. Rhavaniel snorted she pulled one of her poisoned daggers and cut straight through the shield and into the soft flesh of the cultist's stomach. Then, as the shield fell, she summoned an ice spear and rammed it through the cultist's chest.

Their three opponents fell to the ground dead.

"I'm getting sick of these guys just appearing," Rhavaniel said. "I'm checking for them from now on."

"You do that," Ra'shall said. He didn't particularly like being surprised either.

Past the next door stairs continued leading them down.

"I do not know what it is Miraak learned that gave him reason to turn on his masters," Frea said softly as they kept moving. "But his path seems to have been a cruel one. I wonder if we will find some answers to what happened so long ago down here." She looked down another set of stairs as they approached. "How much deeper can this be? I have been told that Miraak's power was great, but to have built so large a temple…"

"Some try to show how powerful they are by building high towers or deep lairs," Katla said. "It doesn't really prove anything, but they do it anyway." She was walking first once more. A narrow staircase opened up to a room lined with sarcophaguses. From the ceiling, the skeleton of a dragon hung. To her left was a Word Wall.

"I had heard Miraak turned against the Dragon Cult, but to display their remains in such a manner as this," Frea said. "It is no wonder the dragons razed his temple to the ground. Seeing their brethren remains hung up like trophies must have enraged them to no end."

As they stepped further into the room, the lids popped off the sarcophaguses. Several draugr stepped out of their coffins. The fight was short lived. Katla and her companions weren't messing around. They just wanted to get back out, but they knew this needed to be dealt with.

"The door is in his coffin," Rhavaniel said disbelievingly as she pointed at one of the dead bodies. She walked up and tried to open it. "It's locked."

"I'll open it while Katla looks the Wall over," Ra'shall said as he pulled out his lockpick set.

"Oh!" Rhavaniel exclaimed. She walked over to Katla. "What does it say?" she asked.

Katla spent some time going over it in her head. She had already picked out the useful word. "Here once stood Miraak who wears his faith as armour shield by Daedra for his eternal loyalty," she translated.

"So he sold his soul to the Daedra?" Rhavaniel said.

"It sounds like it, doesn't it," Katla said.

"You can read this?" Frea asked surprised. Never before had she met a person capable of understanding the texts left by the dragon priests.

Katla nodded. "I'm Dragonborn. That's why he wants me dead. It is possible that he's scared of me," she said.

"You could defeat him," Frea said.

"Possibly," Katla said. "I killed Alduin the World-Eater." She walked up to the door Ra'shall had unlocked.

Frea watched Katla as the brunette moved ahead of her. She wasn't sure what to think of these outlanders. There were seasoned warriors she could see that. They were strange to her.

They stepped into a room that held a long table. There were a few corpses sitting around. They must have had a very deadly last meal. Ra'shall had just unlocked the next door as they made it around the table. "A kitchen," Katla said. "It's a little dirty, but it's still in pretty good shape."

"The way forward is blocked. We need to pull a lever to go on," Ra'shall said.

"We can't go on forever," Katla said. "I know we don't really want to spend the night here, but we need some rest. We can block this room off and make it fairly safe. I'm saying we make sure to get something to eat and get a bit of sleep. Just a few hours is enough. We can't fight anyone if we're falling over our own feet."

"This is the best place to do that so far that I've seen," Ra'shall said. "I'll make sure no one walks through that door." He walked over to the door they'd walked in through and pulled it closed. While he was doing that, Katla and Rhavaniel started preparing dinner.

Frea watched the three companions. She had never seen three so different persons work together so flawlessly before. She had grown up in a village with only Nords. She had barely seen the Dunmer on the other side of the island and here was a Nord who easily worked in synergy with a Bosmer and a Khajiit. She didn't like the idea of resting, but she wasn't going to argue with these people. They seemed to know what they were doing. She wondered how many ruins like these they had explored.

The Khajiit joined the other two and helped them. They prepared roasted rabbit and potatoes. They also made some kind of sauce. Frea wasn't sure what it was, but it did contain ash yam. They invited her over and they all sat down to eat. Frea was surprised. She never expected food to be very good when she left home. These people certainly didn't agree.

Even though Frea never thought she would be able to fall asleep, she was one of the first that dozed off. Ra'shall had been awake when she closed her eyes. He was still sitting in the same when she woke up. No one else seemed to care though. "Did you not sleep?" she asked him.

"Oh, I did," Ra'shall said. "Katla and I switched. She just woke me up."

"I see," Frea said.

Rhavaniel pulled the lever that opened up the next pathway. Books were laid out. None of them had made it through the years. Rhavaniel looked at the books with distaste. She couldn't understand how anyone could treat their books that badly. The next room over had a lever and a big statue. "That's sort of creepy," Katla said.

"It looks like one of the creatures I fought in the Black Book," Rhavaniel said. "We might be coming upon another one of those."

"Don't pick any books up then," Katla said.

"Probably a good idea," Rhavaniel said. She pulled the lever and a floor grid opened up. They walked single file down a spiral staircase. The torches on the lower floor looked like big gaping mouths.

"It is eerily quiet," Frea said. "Be on your guards."

Rhavaniel was about to say something acidly, but one look from Katla made her stay quiet. She knew now was not a good place or time to fight amongst themselves. She pulled another lever instead. It lowered a spiral staircase. They were still going down. ' _This is a bit better,'_ she thought. They had entered a sizable cave. Moss covered arching pillars. It looked almost like the entryway to a castle. Maybe they didn't have that much further to go. She saw draugr walking in the distance and summoned her bow. She knew Katla would follow her lead. She raised the bow and aligned her arrow.

Tchick!

The draugr fell. A low rumble echoed through the cave. Katla looked at Ra'shall alarmed. They did not want to get buried alive.

Then rocks fell down on the corpse of the undead. They breathed out a collective breath of relief. They moved forwards slowly, bows drawn.

"There are wires," Rhavaniel said softly. She fired an arrow that cut the closest one and more rocks fell down on the stairs. It caught the attention of some animated skeletons that were quickly taken out by Katla and Frea.

Ra'shall ran on ahead. He stayed in the shadows. The lid of a sarcophagus hit the ground as he reached the top. A draugr climbed out slowly. It was not one of the weaker ones. He drew Chillrend and dashed forward. He slashed once and disappeared behind a statue on the other side of the draugr. He kept still until the noise of his companions caught the undead's attention then he dashed forward again. Each cut he left behind froze slowing the corpse more and more. Finally, he ran forward and cut the dried head off.

"That's Hermaeus Mora," Rhavaniel said as she pointed to a statue. It looked like a blob with scattered eyes and some tentacles. "There might be a book nearby."

"There is a path behind here," Ra'shall said.

"Yeah, I can't see anything else so that's probably where we have to go," Rhavaniel said. She took the lead now. They passed through a winding tunnel. Rhavaniel had lit a candlelight spell up so they could see. "Okay, Katla you might want to stay back," the elf said after a while. "There is a book in here. I'm going in."

"Good luck," Katla said.

"I'll go with you," Ra'shall said. "Nocturnal will protect me. She doesn't like sharin' and I'm kinda stuck with her."

"You are welcome to come along," Rhavaniel said. "I don't mind the company."

They walked into the circular room. The floor beneath their feet was made out of some kind of metal. It opened up to show a fiery abyss between spiderweb flooring under the statue that held the book.

Frea walked up next to the other two. "I am coming with you," she said. "This book seems wrong… and yet not. It may be what we seek, and I will see this through."

"That's up to you," Rhavaniel said. "Don't get in our way." She looked back at Katla. "We'll see you on the other side."

"Good luck," Katla said.

Rhavaniel had grabbed the cover. "Stay close," she said. She opened the book up. Ra'shall placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is strange," Rhavaniel managed to say.

The two of them arrived in an open area in front of a tower. "Seekers," Rhavaniel pointed out several strange floating tentacled beings. Strange green sludge spread out as far as the eye could see beyond the piece of land they were standing on.

"The time comes soon when…"

"That must be Miraak," Ra'shall hissed.

The man turned around slowly. Lightning shot out of his hands and hit them. Rhavaniel threw up a magic shield protecting them. "What? Who are you to dare set foot here?" he said.

For the first time Ra'shall noticed that Rhavaniel was carrying the Staff of Magnus with her. How had he not seen that earlier? ' _She must have been hiding it,'_ he thought. ' _That might be good to have later on.'_

"Nobodies," Miraak said spitefully. "Tiny ants to be crushed under my feet." He scoffed. " _ **Krii Lun Aus,"**_ he shouted.

The two intruders stood unaffected. "Interesting," Miraak said. "It matters little. This realm is beyond you. You have no power here."

"That is circumstantial. You have no true power over us either, mister," Rhavaniel said. She folded her arms over her chest and pushed more power into the shield protecting herself and Ra'shall.

Miraak actually seemed put off by her, but he seemingly decided to ignore her. "It is only a matter of time before Solstheim is also mine. I already control the minds of its people," he said. "Soon they will finish building my temple, and I can return home." He turned away from them. "They can await my arrival with the rest of Tamriel," he said offhandedly.

The Seekers turned towards Rhavaniel and Ra'shall. The elf didn't feel like dealing with them so she closed the book. "He was just going to force us out either way," she said.

"What happened?"

Ra'shall turned towards Frea.

"It seemed as though you were not really here. I could see you, but also see through you," the blonde Nord said.

"Part of us travelled to Mora's plane of Oblivion and we saw Miraak," Rhavaniel said.

"Oblivion," Frea said. "Can we reach him. Can we kill him?" she asked.

"Not as off now," Rhavaniel said. "We need to fully go there and this book won't allow that right now. It is a doorway, but we can't fully pass through."

"It is a dangerous thing, then. We should return to my village, and show it to my father," Frea said. "Perhaps he can make sense of what is going on."

"Anything that can help us figure this out," Rhavaniel said. She turned back to see Katla come walking back up the corridor. "He thinks you are so weak he doesn't have to care about you," she informed the brunette.

"He doesn't even consider you then," Katla said with a smirk. "That is good." She pointed past them. "A shortcut opened up," she said. "Let's head out of here."

Rhavaniel packed the Black Book down in her backpack before she followed the rest. She wanted some fresh air too.

"You see that green light?" Frea said as Rhavaniel joined the others outside. "That comes from the Wind Stone, where my people work against their will."

"We'll free them, Frea," Katla said. "Show us the way to your village. We'll fix this together."


	3. Ashen Lands

Ashen Lands

The Skaal village lay to the east just across a sturdy wooden bridge. The sky was dark. The sun had yet to rise. "The village is just ahead," Frea said. "Father has used his magic to raise a barrier around it, protecting the few of us that are left."

Rhavaniel nodded slowly. She could sense the magic. It was quite impressive. She could give them that.

"That the barrier is still there is a good sign," Frea said.

' _No, really,'_ Rhavaniel thought sarcastically. To her, that was fairly obvious. She didn't say anything though. They needed the Skaals' help, and they were just a people trying to survive.

The village was quiet. In front of the town hall sat three Nords. They were the ones keeping the barrier up. The village itself looked much like small Nord villages did. The houses were built out of heavy logs and thick planks. It was sturdy and the roofs slanted very steeply.

Katla, Ra'shall, and Rhavaniel slowed down a little allowing Frea to reach her people first. "Father!" the blonde said. "I have returned. There is yet hope." She walked up to one of the kneeling Nords.

"Frea!" her father sounded relieved. "What news do you bring? Is there a way to free our people?" he asked.

"I do not yet know father, but I have brought someone who has seen things… They have confirmed that Miraak is the one behind the suffering of our people," Frea said.

"I feared that it would be so," Storn said.

"But how is that possible?" Frea asked. "After all this time…"

"I fear there is too much we do not yet know," Storn said with a deep sigh.

Frea turned to Rhavaniel. "Please, tell father what has happened," she said.

Rhavaniel stepped forward. "Elder," she said respectfully.

"So, you have seen things, yes?" Storn said. "My magic grows weak, and so does the barrier around our village. Time is short. Tell me what you know."

"We entered the caves beneath Miraak's temple. There we found a Black Book. We've seen Miraak through a gateway made by Hermaeus Mora to his realm of Oblivion," Rhavaniel said.

"The legends speak of that place," Storn said. "Terrible battles were fought at the temple. The dragons burning it to the ground in rage. The legends speak also of something worse than dragons buried within. Difficult to imagine, but if true…It means what I feared has come to pass. Miraak was never truly gone, and now has returned." He looked up at Rhavaniel. "If you could go to this place and see him… Are you like Miraak? Are you Dragonborn?"

"Is Miraak really Dragonborn?" Rhavaniel asked. She was still unsure about that. Why would he be?

"That is what the stories say," Storn said. "Are you Dragonborn as well, then?"

"No, I am not," Rhavaniel said. "But Katla my companion is." Rhavaniel motioned for Katla to step forward. "Does it matter that they are both Dragonborn?"

"I am unsure," Storn said. "It may mean that she could save us, or it may mean that she could bring about our destruction. But time here is running out. The few of us left free of control cannot protect ourselves for much longer." He turned to Katla. "You must go to Saering's Watch. Learn there the word that Miraak learned long ago, and use that knowledge on the Wind Stone. You may be able to break the hold on our people there, and free them from control."

"I'll do my best," Katla said. She turned to her companions.

"I'll stay here," Rhavaniel said. "I can help them keep the barrier up and I still have a few questions. I want to ask."

"We'll go then," Katla said. "We'll see you when we get back."

Rhavaniel nodded. "Good luck," she said. She sat down with the Nords. She needed to tune in to what they were doing in order to help. She wanted information, and she knew that helping them was the easiest way to get what she wanted. "What do you know about Miraak?" she asked Storn. She wanted to know as much as possible. It couldn't be necessary for Katla to fight her. She needed to figure out a way to do it herself.

"Much of what was know has been lost to the ages," Storn said. "He was Dragonborn, and yet he served the Dragons. He was a priest in their order, highly esteemed and very powerful."

That gave Rhavaniel hope. She had fought Dragon Priests before. Sure Miraak wasn't undead, but she could probably work something out.

"Then he turned against them, becoming something they feared," Storn continued. "He was defeated long ago, but it seems he was not destroyed."

"Hermaeus Mora has preserved him," Rhavaniel said. She fell silent, deep in thought. She connected to Storn's magic and pushed her own power into it. The barrier flared up stronger. She didn't care much about that though. ' _Maybe if,'_ she thought. ' _No..'_ she dismissed herself. She knew she would have to use the Staff of Magnus. She might need more than that though. She sank deeper into her own thoughts formulating one plan after another. She knew Ra'shall would probably come along. She had to remember that.

…

While Rhavaniel was planning Miraak's demise, Ra'shall and Katla made their way up yet another ash clad hill. A thick stone wall was built between two mountainsides. They passed through the wide arch that led through it. A battle was raging between frost trolls, draugr and a great frost scaled dragon. Katla drew her sword. "I'll bring the Dragon down," she said. She moved out to an open area. The dragon flew up over her head. " _ **Joor Zah Frul,"**_ she shouted. Her voice hit the dragon, and it tumbled down out of the air. Katla ran up and slashed at its unprotected belly.

The dragon roared in pain. It tried to claw at her. She moved away quickly. The beast snapped after her with its huge jaws. She cut at its face before moving out of the way of its fire breath. The dragon tried to get off the ground. "No you don't," Katla said. She raised her sword and cut straight through the membrane of the dragon's wing. "You're not leaving," she hissed.

The dragon's head whipped around and he opened his jaws revealing rows of sharp teeth. " _ **Iiz Slen Nus,"**_ Katla shouted. Her voice froze the dragon's head. It wouldn't hold for long. She rushed forward and raised her sword. It fell sharply down upon the dragon's neck. She removed a dagger from her belt. She hadn't killed a dragon in a long time. She wasn't going to let its hide go to waste. She would have to spend some time taking care of the skin after this. She started cutting slowly as memories of the dragon's life played by in the back of her head. She was used enough to it now that it didn't paralyze her anymore. The first couple of times she'd almost fainted.

"You're bringin' that?" Ra'shall asked amused.

"Yes," Katla said. She piled the hide up.

"We're goin' to have to find some way to increase the inside of your bag or somethin'." Ra'shall said.

Katla looked up at him. "That is a really good idea," she said.

"We'll make sure that you get the chance soon," Ra'shall said. "Let's go find that Word Wall now though."

The climbed up a couple stairs and walked up to the wall. "Stone commemorates Bhar the Earth-Hunter who sat here still as Earth awaits enlightenment only to become old instead of wise," Katla read. "I guess maybe it would be 'this stone'."

"What was the important word?" Ra'shall asked a bit curious.

"Gol, it means earth," Katla said as she pointed to a specific word on the wall.

"What will it do?" Rashall asked. "Earth doesn't seem very tellin'. Will you shoot some dust at people?"

"No, I think the first word is earth as in ground. So maybe I can ground things," Katla said.

"That sounds… plausible I guess," Ra'shall said. "I guessin' we're headin' back to the village… and we're bringin' the dragon skin."

"Yes," Katla said.

They reached the Wind Stone at about midday. Skaal Nords were working on building something around the stone. They were mindlessly going about their work. Sometimes they even spoke in a monotone voice. Their words, however, made little sense. Katla went up to the stone. She placed a hand on it. " _ **Gol,"**_ she breathed. The ground started shaking. Then the structure that the Nords had built started glowing. It exploded in a flash of light.

A beast appeared. Ra'shall rushed forward his blade drawn. Katla pulled her bow and lined up an arrow. Tentacles shot out of the monster's mouth. Ra'shall cut the ones that tried to grab him. Katla let go of her arrow. The beast turned her way enraged by the pointy stick. " _ **Yol,"**_ Katla shouted at the beast. It didn't look like anything of this world. It had to be a creature from Mora's aspect of Oblivion. The head looked like a deep sea fish with two rows of thin sharp teeth. The body was humanoid but sickly. Katla had drawn her sword. She rushed forward and cut one of its legs off. The blood was dark green. Ra'shall had jumped up and rammed his sword through the creature's skull. It collapsed. Katla cleaned her blade off.

Around them, the Skaal Nords were walking around them confused.

"How did we get here?"

"What is going on?"

"I would suggest you return to your village. The Shaman will explain what is going on," Katla said. She had raised her voice so everyone would hear her. Thankfully they didn't question her. She was glad for that. She and Ra'shall walked ahead of the Nords.

Rhavaniel sat on a bench drawing shapes in the ash. The barrier was down. "You lowered the barrier?" Katal asked.

"Storn said it wasn't needed anymore," Rhavaniel said.

"I hope he knows what he's talking about," Katla said. "I don't want to have to come back here and fix things again."

"Hopefully that won't happen," Rhavaniel said. She stood up. "You found a dragon I see," she said as she noticed the scales they were carrying.

"Yes," Katla said.

"I take it you'd like going back to the house so you can treat that," Rhavaniel said.

"It's one of the things I want to do," Katla said. "Ra'shall came up with the idea to make the backpacks bigger on the inside. Do you think that is possible?"

Rhavaniel tilted her head to the side. "That is an interesting idea," she said. "Let me think about that."

"You do that. I'll go talk to the Shaman and then we'll be on our way," Katla said. She headed over to the elderly Nord. "Your people are free," she said as she motioned to the Nords filing into the village.

"Thank you," Storn said. "You have proven yourself an ally to the Skaal, and so the Skaal shall be allies to you."

"I appreciate that," Katla said with a small bow. "I freed the people here. I'm guessing I can do the same by the other stones."

"I believe that you might be able to do so," Storn said. "I doubt it will fully stop whatever Miraak is doing, but it may slow his progress."

"Hopefully it will," Katla said. "With some luck, we will succeed. Goodbye for now."

"All-Maker be with you," Storn said.

Katla returned to her companions. "Let's leave here for now," she said. "I'd like to get back to Raven Rock. We need to go around and heal, for lack of a better word, the other stones."

"You guys can do that," Rhavaniel said. "I'll go to Tel Mithryn. Storn said the Magician there might be able to help. He came here asking questions about the Black Books."

"Sounds like a good idea," Katla said.

"But we'll go back to the house first. I want to restock and clean up. Then I want to look into that idea Ra'shall had," Rhavaniel said.

"So, back we go," Ra'shall said.

…

Katla was sitting outside with the dragon hide. She had freed people from their slave work around the earthstone that morning. Now she was treating the hide so it wouldn't rot on her. She wasn't sure what she wanted to use it for, but it was always good to have around. Unlike the dark green scales in her armour and the brown scales in Rhavaniel's armour, this hide was ice blue. She wasn't sure a light blue armour was the best thing to have. Usually, a darker colour was wiser.

Rhavaniel came walking outside to where she was working with a thick book serving as a tablet underneath a parchment. She sat down next to Katla.

"I think we can do it if we enchant," Rhavaniel said. She pointed down at the parchment which was filled with different calculations. "I just have to figure out how. Maybe we need to line the inside of the packs."

"We could do that," Katla said. She had made their backpacks out of dragonhide too. It would hold longer than anything else she'd ever worked with so she hadn't seen why. It wasn't fun to be deep down in some grotto and suddenly hear the bag filled with your supplies rip apart.

"I don't think we can stretch it that much though," Rhavaniel said. "The amount of work that has to go into something like that would be really hard to control."

"I just want to be able to carry both some armour making supplies and food without the pack being overfull and weighing a ton," Katla said. "I really should have considered doing something about that earlier. I brought some of my own tools here, but I left them in the house since we were going dungeon exploring."

"I understand what you mean," Rhavaniel said. "I definitely end up wanting to bring more things than I can at times. This would be practical for me too. I just don't know how much we can push it." She looked her calculations over. "I'll try it on something else. We don't want to ruin the dragonhide." She got back up and wandered back inside. She was going to find something she could experiment with.

Katla finished with the hides and hung them up. She would fold them later. She walked inside. Ra'shall was cooking. "Did you find out where the other stones are?" she asked him. He'd left earlier to see if he could get some directions. They really should have asked the Skaal.

"Some helpful people down in the tavern drew me a map. It ain't perfect, but I think we can sort of follow it," Ra'shall said. "We've dealt with two of them so far. There are two more. How is Rhavaniel doin'?"

"I don't know. She was going to experiment," Katla said.

They took it easy for the rest of that day. The following day was spent preparing some food to go. Cooking wasn't always an alternative out there, but they needed to eat. A storm drew in over the island. Rain beat down on the streets at first then it turned to soft snow. It left the ground soggy. They decided to stay for a few more days. Hopefully, the ground would dry up.

"I can't make the bags that much bigger on the inside," Rhavaniel said a few days later. "It stretches the material too much. Making them lighter isn't that hard, but without messing with plains of Oblivion, it is difficult to mess with space."

"Just do your best," Katla said. "I've prepared the inner lining." She pointed to three blue bags laying on a barrel. "Make those a little bigger. Our original bags can be made lighter."

"Oh, that's right. It will make it a little easier," Rhavaniel said.

"Do you want me to enchant them stronger?" Katla asked.

"Oh, yes please;" Rhavaniel said. "I know how far I can go before everything rips apart. I can stop before it gets unstable. Dragonhide can probably go a little further than linen."

Katla and Rhavaniel headed downstairs to the enchanting table. Katla started slowly weaving an enchantment into the first hide. She worked slowly so there wouldn't be any problems. Once she was done she handed the bag to Rhavaniel. Now Rhavaniel didn't enchant. She wove magic. As she started weaving, Katla continued with the next bag. Then suddenly she heard a terrible rip beside her. She didn't stop working though. It could flaw the enchant. Once she was done she looked down at where Rhavaniel was sitting. The bag was ruined.

"I don't know why that didn't work," the Bosmer said.

Katla looked it over. "Maybe my enchant and whatever you are doing doesn't work very well together," she said. "I might have to do all the work with enchantments. Why don't you explain the process."

Rhavaniel sighed. Then she brought out her calculations.

Sometime later, Ra'shall came walking down. He chuckled as he saw the two women. They were sitting with their heads together discussing different methods to enchant and weave spells. He listened in for a while, but it wasn't very interesting to him. He didn't care much for any kind of magic. He enjoyed the effects of Katla's enchants, but he didn't care how she did it. Instead, he headed outside. The ash on the ground was still a bit wet. Hopefully, they could leave the following day. He felt a bit of an urgency. They needed to take care of this. He didn't like that Miraak could take over people's minds. He was safe, he knew that. Rhavaniel was perfectly safe. He had a feeling there wasn't anyone who could mind control her. Katla was trickier. Normally he would say no one could control her. However, Miraak had somehow given her nightmares. Maybe he could control her.

Ra'shall sighed. Maybes wasn't going to get him anywhere. He wasn't going to let Katla be controlled. He walked around the town. Talk in the harbour was that some elves had come in earlier that day. His eyes narrowed. They had been pale elves. He wondered if they were still there.

' _Nowhere in town,'_ he thought as he walked back up to their front door. He wondered where they had gone. Most people wouldn't want to go to an ash-covered rock in the first place. Especially not Altmer. So, what were they doing on Solstheim? He opened the door and walked inside.

"We figured it out!" Rhavaniel exclaimed as she jumped to hug him. He had barely made it through the door. "They work and they are amazing," the excited elf continued. "Katla made it so much simpler than what I had. I must have been overthinking it."

"It's good to hear that it's working," Ra'shall said.

"Yeah, we had to…"

"Please, Rhavaniel. I don't care how you did it," Ra'shall said. "I don't understand it. I'm glad it's workin' and I'll happily aww and ooooh at the result, but spare me the details."

"Oh, yeah right," Rhavaniel said sheepishly. She knew he wasn't interested unless it was alchemy. She just tended to forget when she was excited. "Come on you need to see," she said dragging Ra'shall with her.

Katla was packing her bag downstairs. She was placing her pack of tools into the bag. "Feel that," she told Ra'shall.

The Khajiit lifted the bag up. "What do you have in here?" he asked.

"The hides and my tools for now," Katla said.

"It's really light," Ra'shall said. He placed the bag down and reached into it. "This is really nice," he said. "And you made some pockets for important things that is good." He stood up. "You have fixed all our packs up like this?" he asked.

"Yes, we did," Katla said. "Though yours has more pockets and I made an inner lining that will hide the fact that we enchanted the bag."

"Neat," Ra'shall said as she handed him his own backpack. He looked it over. He was really happy with it. It had a separate compartment for alchemy ingredients and a hidden compartment for stolen goods. He really liked it. No one would be able to tell that it was bigger on the inside than the outside. "This is perfect," he said calmly.

"I thought you would like it," Katla said. "We should pack. We can leave tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yeah, we should head out as early as possible," Ra'shall said. "Let's pack properly."

…

"So, Ra'shall and I will head north first," Katla said as she looked at the makeshift map Ra'shall had put together. "Then we'll go east. We'll meet up back down at Tel Mithryn, right? That's where the Magician was."

"Yes," Rhavaniel said. "I'll go straight there and talk to Neloth. Hopefully, I'll learn something we can use. Good luck dealing with the lurkers."

"Lurker? That's what the big fish guys are called?" Katla asked.

"Yes, at least I think so," Rhavaniel said. "Where did Ra'shall go?"

"I don't know, but he'll find me," Katla said. "Hope you find some way of dealing with Miraak."

"Yeah, me too," Rhavaniel said. "See you soon."

"Safe travels."

They walked their separate ways. Rhavaniel headed out the gate. Katla, on the other hand, walked around onto the beach. They couldn't go straight north because of the mountains. They would have to go around.

"You decided to head out without me?" Ra'shall said jokingly as he appeared behind her.

"You had disappeared," Katla said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I know. A boat came in with a colleague of mine. She brought some information that I have to look through and I had some decisions to make. She does the day to day, but sometimes she needs my seal of approval," Ra'shall said.

"So, thieves then," Katla said. "Anything that matters to us common mortals?"

"Nothin' too bad," Ra'shall said.

"It must be a little difficult for them to function when their leader is never there," Katla said.

"Oh, they manage," Ra'shall said. "Though I am thinkin' of settlin' down around there, or movin' headquarters."

Katla gave him a curious look. "How come?" she asked. He'd never really spoken of settling down in any way. Yes, he lived with her in Lakeview Manor, but it wasn't really his house. Though it did sound like he was considering moving his whole operation to work from there. It amused her.

"I may have found this cute little lady," Ra'shall said offhandedly.

"You didn't," Katla said her eyes wide. She was actually surprised. She placed her hand against the cliff wall they were moving around. If the waves moved just a bit higher her feet would get wet. She didn't really care that much, but she was going to be doing a lot of walking which wasn't as comfortable in soaked boots.

"I did actually," Ra'shall said. "She travels with one of the caravans. Light grey fur like polished silver with these beautiful dark stripes," He sighed.

"I knew you were a hopeless romantic," Katla said.

"She teases me to no end," Ra'shall said. "And she has the cutest snort."

"You should make sure no one else takes her," Katla said. "That should be your goal after we're done with this." She had never seen him like that before. It amused her. "You've spent some time with her right. This isn't just some crush," she said. She would hate to see his heart broken.

"Yes, we've met a few times," Ra'shall said. "I just haven't mentioned it. I haven't really talked to her about you either. I… I thought maybe she would take it badly."

"Just tell her and make sure you tell her the whole truth. That's all you really need. Don't let her walk away from you believing something that isn't true," Katla said. She looked out to the sea. A lonely ship was anchored a few yards from the shore. Shields hung from the sides.

"I guess you're right," Ra'shall said.

"If she's got problems with it, just let me talk to her. We can clear it up," Katla said.

"Thanks, Katla," Ra'shall said. "Let's turn up here. With a bit of luck, the stone is up there." He pointed up a steep hill. Their boots slipped as they climbed up.

There were three stones they needed to free. It was going to take some time travelling over the piece of rock they called Solstheim. They found sailors, most likely the crew of the ship Katla saw earlier, up by the first stone. Then they travelled across the island to the east until they came across the next stone.

"What is that?" Katla asked.

A set of small grey-skinned creatures were working on constructing the arches Miraak wanted them to build. They looked a bit like goblins but pointier.

"Rieklings," Ra'shall said. "Some of the people I spoke to so I could put the map together warned me about them. They can be really aggressive if you get too close to their home."

"Rather natural," Katla said. You couldn't blame a creature for wanting to protect its home.

They cleansed the pillar and killed the lurker. The rieklings looked around confused for a short while before running off.

There was only one stone left then they would meet up with Rhavaniel again.


	4. Black Books

Black Books

While Katla and Ra'shall were traversing around the island cleaning the nature stones, Rhavaniel was heading east from Raven Rock. In the distance, she could see the volcano spewing ash. There were several broken down houses in her path. More people had lived on the island, but without the protecting walls around Raven Rock, they had not made it. She passed by the ruins where she had fought General Falx Carius.

As she passed the fort, she could see a giant mushroom in the distance. According to people in town, the man she was looking for lived in that mushroom. She walked through patches of the only green plant she had seen on the island. She wished more things grew there. All the grey was making her depressed.

Fire and ice shot across the ground. Rhavaniel summoned her bow just in case. Two magicians were fighting each other just ahead. Then she noticed the lurker. It wasn't like she cared about those people. She didn't have to get involved. She shimmered and turned invisible. Why get involved when she didn't have to. She moved past the fighting mages carefully. She jumped over a creek and walked up among mushrooms the size of trees. Morrowind was known for them. She was unsure if they were local or not though.

Two mages, a man and a woman, were standing in the sort of courtyard of the giant mushroom. The man was reading from a book and attempting to cast some kind of spell.

"If you must know, I'm trying to get this Ash Guardian spell to work."

' _Not going to well,'_ Rhavaniel thought. She passed by the two as they continued arguing about how he shouldn't be practising outside, and how she should be caring for the sick mushroom. She entered the main mushroom. Her hand reached out over a rune on the ground. She stepped inside and activated the magic. She was a little impressed. Someone who didn't have any magical knowledge would have a hard time activating the seal. That way the magician up top wouldn't have to deal with people who didn't know any magic. She floated up slowly and stepped out on a ledge.

A dignified Dunmer was walking around up there with a book in his hands and a candlelight orb hanging over his shoulder. "Excuse me," Rhavaniel said.

Neloth looked up from his book. His brow furrowed. "I don't recall inviting you into my tower," he said. "I do hope you make this worth my while."

On the inside, Rhavaniel threw a curse at him for being so rude. She, however, didn't show her irritation outwards. Instead, she said, "I have been told you know where to find Hermaeus Mora's Black Books."

"What do you know of them?" Neloth asked curiously.

"I have found two of them, but I need to find more in order to defeat Miraak," Rhavaniel said. "I need a way to defeat Miraak and the books may give me that."

"You read them too didn't you? Don't deny it, you've got the look. I can see it now," Neloth said. "Dangerous knowledge is still knowledge and therefore useful. Usually turns out to be most useful, in my experience, and you need knowledge to defeat Miraak. I've heard the townsfolk talking about him."

"He's trying to return to Solstheim," Rhavaniel said simply.

"I knew something connected with Hermaeus Mora was spreading its influence across the island," Neloth said. "I wasn't sure however that it was, in fact, the same entity as this legendary namesake of the central temple of the island. Although the villagers seem quite convinced."

"It is quite true I've seen him myself," Rhavaniel said. "So, do you know where I can find another Black Book?"

"Oh, yes. They are not hard to locate once you know how to look for them," Neloth said. "I have one here that I've been using to locate more."

"I hadn't thought about that," Rhavaniel said knowing that she could probably do it herself, but that would just bring her to other books. Neloth may still be able to lead her to the one book she needed. "You have a Black Book," she inquired. She didn't really care, but it would keep him talking.

"Yes," Neloth said. "I haven't been idle while this fascinating madness engulfed Solstheim. But my book isn't what you're looking for. I'm quite sure it is unconnected to this Miraak. I do however know where to find a Black Book that can help you."

"I would greatly appreciate your aid in finding a Black Book connected to Miraak," Rhavaniel said.

"I haven't been able to get it, but maybe together we can unlock the secrets the Dwemer left behind," Neloth said.

"So, the Dwemer found the book. Interesting," Rhavaniel said.

"Yes, forbidden knowledge was somewhat of a speciality of the dwarves, eh? They obviously wouldn't just leave the Books alone," Neloth said. "It seems they found the book and took it to study. I found their 'reading room' in the ruins of Nchardak. The book is there, but it's sealed in a protective case which I wasn't able to open. Perhaps the two of us together will be able to get at the book."

"Sounds like a plan, sir," Rhavaniel said. She waited while he packed some things he may need. "To Nchardak, then," he said once he was done. "Follow me." He went down the lift, and Rhavaniel followed closely behind him.

They travelled together over ashy dunes towards the ruins. Once Neloth found out Rhavaniel was the Archmage of the College of Winterhold, he struck up conversations ranging from rare spells to intricate incantation.

Rhavaniel found him somewhat full of himself but not impossible to deal with. She could stand him. She had eaten an apple and some dried meat while she waited for him. She was glad she had. The sun stood high in the sky, and she would have completely missed lunch if she hadn't made sure to eat.

She learned that it was Neloth himself had brought the spores to grow the giant mushrooms. He had cultivated until they were big enough to make houses out off. She was slightly impressed with that.

Thankfully the ruins weren't that far off. Rhavaniel wasn't that interested in running all over the island. The ruins were big. Several different buildings were slowly sinking into the sea. Hopefully, the whole place wasn't flooded. Apart from that, it looked like Dwemer ruins tended to look. The were granite walls and floors with dark golden roofs. It was massive. It was built low and sturdy. It wasn't like Altmer buildings that were pretty and delicate or Bosmer buildings that were mostly just trees. Dwemer lived underground mostly, and their buildings showed that. They used what their mines provided them with to build.

"The Dwemer certainly knew how to build for the ages," Neloth said. "These towers have outlasted their creators by millennia."

Rhavaniel's violet eyes narrowed as she saw a shape move by. She summoned her bow. "Reavers are nearby master Neloth," she said.

"Ah, that will not be a problem," Neloth said. He started channelling a summon spell and a great ashen beast appeared. That must have been what the young mage earlier wanted to summon.

Rhavaniel disappeared from sight and snuck around. Her arrows came flying from seemingly nowhere, confusing the reavers. She moved as quickly as she could placing runic trapped in her wake. A small smirk spread across her lips as one of the reavers stepped on a rune and was frozen solid. She walked up to him and cracked the ice. He splintered into tiny pieces.

Neloth caught up with her, and they continued walking along the ruins. The place they were headed for was a giant dome at the very back. A gate blocked a giant set of double doors.

"The book is housed in here," Neloth said. "I sealed the door when I left to keep out ignorant meddlers." He walked up to the door. "The Dwemer of Nchardak appear to have been fond of these control pedestals. Luckily I found a cube to operate it inside on my last visit. I'll unlock this." He opened his shoulder bag and rummaged around in it. Then he pulled a cube out and placed it on the pedestal.

The bars moved aside so they could get in. Neloth pulled the heavy doors aside and walked in, Rhavaniel following closely behind him.

"So tantalizingly close…" Neloth said as he walked into the middle of the circular room.

Four malachite discs surrounded a vault. The door was made of glass, but it was guarded with magic of some kind. Old magic.

"But trust me, no magic will open that," Neloth continued. "I would have acquired the book by now already if it could." He shook his head. "No, we'll have to do this the hard way," he said turning to Rhavaniel. "If we can restore the steam supply to this room, I'm certain I can open it."

"I see," Rhavaniel said. He had obviously spent quite some time there. She wasn't going to argue with him.

"As you'll see, that is easier said than done, however," Neloth said. "This way to the boilers." he led the way over to another lock that he opened with the cube. On the other side of the gate was a lift. Rhavaniel bent down and pulled the lever. The platform they stood on started moving down slowly. She was glad it still worked. It was something she always feared when using one of the old Dwemer mechanics. One day one of the lifts would collapse on her.

A rocky tunnel stretched out before them. "The last time I was here, I only explored a small part of the ruins," Neloth said. "I was alone here then. I hope you don't mind getting your hands dirty. I would rather avoid it if possible."

"That's no problem for me," Rhavaniel said. "You can focus on getting this apparatus to work. I'll do the dirty work."

"Much appreciated," Neloth said.

They appeared in a big hall. "Nchardak. The 'City of a Hundred Towers'," Neloth said. "In its day, it was the largest of the great Dwemer Archives, and perhaps the most advanced."

Grand staircases led down from the entrance. Pillars held up a rock ceiling from which chandeliers hung. Dwemer chandeliers didn't hold candles instead they were lit with some kind of greenish gas. Rhavaniel walked forward. She ran her fingers around the edge of a big fire bowl. Once upon a time, they had been lit to welcome people. Rhavaniel continued down the stairs. She passed strange monitors and ended up by a set of two pedestals much like the ones that had held the locks for the doors they had gone through to get down there. Water filled the lower levels of the room.

"In the old stories, when the Nords came to conquer it, it's said the Dwemer submerged the entire city beneath the sea until the invaders gave up," Neloth explained. "I have my doubts. But the city was a marvel of Dwemer engineering. Now… reduced to this." He motioned to the water. "As you can see, most of the lower levels of the city are flooded. But it isn't hopeless - the old Dwemer pumps still seem to work." He placed his cube in one of the pedestals. Gears started turning. Rhavaniel could hear the machine work.

"The pumps only operate when a cube is on the pedestal, and unfortunately, I only have one cube," Neloth said.

"So we need to find more of them," Rhavaniel said.

"In order to start the pumps, yes," Neloth said. The pumps are shut down, but they still respond to the control cubs. So, if we can find four more cubes, we can turn these boilers back on and restore steam power into the rooms upstairs. Then hopefully I should be able to open the book's protective case."

Rhavaniel nodded. "It should work. We'll make sure it works," she said. She grabbed the cube and followed him over to the monitors. She couldn't read them, but thankfully it seemed like Neloth could.

"Yes… here we are," Neloth said. "This device shows the location of four more cubes in this section of the city. It looks like most of the cubes were moved to the lower levels, perhaps to try to control the flooding before the city was abandoned. That is interesting. It would suggest that the city must have originally sunk during the first cataclysm of Red Mountain."

"Not because Nords were invading then?" Rhavaniel said. "That is interesting. I wonder if we could figure out what actually happened to flood the city."

"Yes, it would be quite the something, wouldn't it," Neloth said. "It is also possible that the Dwemer's servitors continued to try to preserve the city after their creators' disappearance." He started walking. "This way first. There are three cubes through that door." He pointed. "It seems like the most sensible place to start."

Rhavaniel agreed. She told him as much. They reached the gate, and she placed the cube on the lock pedestal. The gate opened and they could enter into the next room. The first cube was just off to their left as they entered.

"I hope all of them are this easy to find," Neloth said he picked it up and placed it in his bag. "Although knowing the Dwemer, I rather doubt it."

Dwemer spider workers attacked them. Ice left Rhavaniel's hands freezing them to the floor while Neloth fried their cores.

"There we go," Neloth said as the spiders collapsed.

They turned left and headed into another water-filled room. A wide walkway went straight across the room. Water poured down from broken pipes in the ceiling. Exit pipes were hovering right above the waterline.

"These must be the 'Great Workshops of Nchardak'," Neloth said as they walked into the room. " It's impressive even in ruins. In the city's days of glory, it was reputed to be able to assemble a complete automaton in a single day. Much of the Dwemer army at the Battle of Red Mountain must have come from here."

Rhavaniel wore a small smirk. She wondered if Neloth had ever been to Blackreach. He might like going there. She could always hand him directions. She certainly wasn't going with him. She reached the far end of the room. There were two pedestals there. She placed her cube in one and Neloth placed the other.

The water in the room lowered. Rhavaniel pulled her cube back out. The water didn't fill back in. That was good. She moved down after Neloth.

"We need to get to that door," Neloth said and pointed up at a door.

Rhavaniel walked up a bit. It looked like stairs could come up out of the floor. She climbed up and placed her cube out. A bridge lifted.

Rhavaniel noticed that the pedestal was red. She wondered if the colour was some kind of designation. The lock pedestals had been red, hadn't they? Maybe red pedestals were like permanently pulling a lever while blue pedestals were like pushing a button. She jumped back down next to Neloth and placed her cube on the pedestal. She had been right. Stairs rose out of the ground. After that acquiring the next cube was easy. Some spider workers appeared and they destroyed them. The water level had returned to what it had been when they first entered the room. Rhavaniel cast water walking and stepped out on the grey surface. She walked back to pick their left cube up before they continued. The water level was even higher now.

Rhavaniel stopped Neloth. "There is a ballista up there. I'd rather not be hit with that bolt," she said. "Let me sneak up there and take it out."

"Fantastic idea," Neloth said. "No point in getting hurt unnecessarily."

Rhavaniel turned invisible and rushed upstairs. She didn't use weapons. Instead, she jumped up on top of the ballista and pulled several components out. It collapsed beneath her. There was a second one and she ran over to take care of that as well. Then she dropped down. She removed the cube and threw it over to Neloth. Behind her, a centurion, a giant man like construction, came to life. Rhavaniel placed a frost rune on the ground. She noticed water flooding in as he looked down. "Get up the stairs," she told Neloth. She hurried up after him. Then she turned around. Slowly she froze the water stopping the centurion. "There you go," she told it.

They headed back to the main room. Neloth walked up to the pedestals on their floor and placed them down. The whole room rumbled as the water lowered. They were headed for the last cube. More ruins and more water. Rhavaniel was getting tired, but she felt like they might as well finish. She would most likely get a good chunk of a day to rest before Katla and Ra'shall showed up. She wished they were there. They were far better company than Neloth. He wasn't so bad. She could discuss things with him that the other two didn't really understand. That didn't make him a good travel companion though. He was far too prissy.

Lowering bridges and emptying water. They had to destroy some more Dwemer constructions. Then Neloth decided to stay behind. Rhavaniel didn't mind. It meant that they probably wouldn't have to backtrack. At least she hoped so. She was wrong and this time she would have to swim. Water had filled up and covered the corridor she had entered through. She wished she had left her things behind. Thankfully, she could make sure no water leaked into her bag.

She dived down and swam through. She climbed up on the water surface on the other side. Neloth saw her and removed his cube. The water rose even further. Rhavaniel sighed she would have to swim again to get out. At least they had all the cubes they needed now. They headed up and placed the cubes in the steam controls.

"That seems to have done it," Neloth said. "Good. It took longer than I'd hoped, but at least it's finally done. I should be able to open the vault now."

Rhavaniel turned as a horrible rumbling reached her ears. "Centurion," she said. She summoned her bow and started firing arrow after arrow. Next to her Neloth was shooting lightning at the beast. The centurion slipped and fell into the water. Rhavaniel dropped her bow and sent lightning of her own. The water would lead it right.

"Let's get back up, master Neloth," Rhavaniel said. "It's the moment of truth. Hopefully, you can open that vault now."

The first thing Rhavaniel noticed when they got back up with the lift was the light. A big blue stone hanging from the ceiling was shooting light down at the malachite discs.

Neloth walked up to a pedestal and pushed a button. The glass moved aside and a platform rose. The book lay neatly on a heavy Dwemer plate.

"At last," Neloth said. "I hope it was worth it. Please… be my guest. You deserve the first look. Besides, it could be very dangerous. These books are known to drive many people insane."

"I know," Rhavaniel said. She was tired. It wasn't ideal to for her to read the book now. "I need to rest," she said. "I will not face that book dead tired. If you wish to go back home. I will bring the book to you once I'm done with it."

"Ah, yes understandable," Neloth said. "How about we bring the book with us and you can rest back in Tel Mithryn. It is safer back there."

"I wouldn't mind that," Rhavaniel said.

They headed back to the mushrooms. Rhavaniel got a chance to finally rest.

…

It was the next day. Rhavaniel had slept in. She was well rested and well fed. She had eaten a sturdy breakfast. She grabbed the Black Book. Neloth was working on something else not too far off. She opened the dark heavy cover. She was pulled into another realm. The sky was green and the buildings dark. All around her was a black sludge. She knew that was dangerous. She activated a pod and a bridge rolled out before her. The corridor she needed to enter was swaying back and forth. She would have to time her jump. Pages torn from books were floating around.

Whenever she passed over the black sludge tentacles reached up and tried to grab her. She pulled the style of and another pod. A bridge rolled out allowing her to move forward. She reached an open book. She leaned down and let it transport her. She ended up in a small tunnel with pages swirling all around obstructing her vision. Dark tones echoed through the hall. It was probably supposed to make people feel uncomfortable, but Rhavaniel didn't really care about it. To her, this was just a set of tasks that needed to be solved.

The tunnel opened up. A lurker and two seekers appeared. Rhavaniel summoned her bow and started firing arrows quickly. The seekers turned to ash as they died. She found another book. Through dark tunnels and over deep gaps that led to certain death. The very air was trying to mess with her head. 'Nice try,' she thought. She wasn't that easy to affect. The walls were made of books, Rhavaniel realised. She knew this place wasn't real. Though her brain thought it was real which was how she could be killed in there. She was fairly certain that her body was still sitting in Neloth's study. If she concentrated, she could even see the pages of the book she was holding. She returned to Hermaeus Mora's world. She needed to find the final book.

A smile spread across her lips as she finally found a closed book. It was the end of the line. She opened the book and stepped back. A liquidy black goo appeared. A myriad of eyes opened with two pupils connected and yellow irises.

"All seekers of knowledge come to me, sooner or later," Hermaeus Mora said slowly.

"I'm aware of that Mora," Rhavaniel said. "It has been a while hasn't it."

"Ah, Rhavaniel," Mora said. "You come to me once more. What do you seek this time?"

"I want to defeat Miraak," Rhavaniel said. "He is threatening those I care for. His time has passed."

"Ah, is that so, Archmage," Mora said. "Maybe you are right. Maybe you're not. But you defeating Miraak will not be easy."

"You know me, Hermaeus Mora," Rhavaniel said. "I don't care about power. I want knowledge… And so do you. What can I give you so you'll aid me in Miraak's destruction?"

"Now, we are using the same language," Mora said. "First of the Skaal have withheld their secrets from me for many long years. The time has come for this knowledge to be added to my library."

"I see," Rhavaniel said. "This I can do. What else?"

"I will speak to you of this later," Mora said. "Get me the knowledge I want from the Skaal Shaman. Send him to me. Confront Miraak. Pray you are strong enough to withstand his will and defeat him."

"He cannot control me," Rhavaniel said.

"That might be true little mortal," Mora said. He disappeared into nothingness.

Rhavaniel left Apocrypha behind. She placed the Black Book aside on a table.

"What happened?" Neloth asked as he came walking up to her. "What did you see? Different people have very different experiences when reading those books."

"Old Hemy and I had a bit of a chat," Rhavaniel said.

"Interesting, and you're still surprisingly sane, too. What did he have to say?" Neloth asked. "He must have wanted something from you."

"Knowledge, what else does he want," Rhavaniel said. "He wanted the secrets the Skaal have been hiding from him. In exchange, he will aid me against Miraak."

"Huph, what secrets could they have worth keeping from old Mora?" Neloth said. "Sounds like a bargain to me. Hermaeus Mora learns some fascinating new ways to skin a horker, and you get to defeat Miraak."

"Yeah," Rhavaniel said. She was fairly certain that whatever information Storn was keeping from Mora was something a little more important than how to skin some creature or another. Katla was not going to like it. She would have to speak to the fair-minded brunette for a long time to get her to agree to sacrificing someone. Hopefully, Storn would go willingly. Katla wouldn't have as much of a problem with it then.

Rhavaniel spent most of that day making a few potions she might need in the fight against Miraak. As the sun was setting, Katla and Ra'shall showed up. They stayed by Tel Mithryn that night. They didn't talk much then. They would have plenty of time to talk the next day.


	5. Apocrypha

Apocrypha

"You promised Mora the soul of Storn?" Katla said sternly. "You want us to sacrifice an innocent?"

"Well, I thought we could talk to Storn about it," Rhavaniel said. "He might be willing to trade his life for the safety of his people."

Katla sighed. She couldn't argue with her about that. It wasn't her choice to make. "You're right he might be," she said. "Let's get over there and talk to him."

They passed the Sun Stone on their way north.

Rieklings attacked and Rhavaniel scared them off. She didn't want to fight them. '"There kinda cute," she said. "And they're just protecting their interests."

They reached the Skaal Village by midday. They settled down and prepared some food. They weren't in so much of a hurry that they couldn't take care of basic needs. As they ate, they overheard a conversation between two of the villagers.

"Deor, you must be calm," a woman told a man. "I'm sure there's a good reason Baldor left us."

"Something isn't right, Fanari," Deor said. "I feel it in my bones and I smell it in the air. Baldor wouldn't leave without telling someone." He sounded very concerned.

"Don't worry yourself over nothing, Deor," Fanari said. "Do you want a head full of grey hairs before you've seen forty winters?"

"It makes my heart heavy that you don't believe me, Fanari," Deor said. "Baldor could be in danger, and you will do nothing." He shook his head in disappointment. "If you won't help me, then I'll ask the All-Maker to send someone else who can."

"That's interesting," Rhavaniel said.

"It might be Thalmor who took him," Ra'shall said. "I heard talk in Raven Rock of pale elves comin' ashore. They were gone by the time I heard of them."

"Sounds a little strange," Katla said. "Do you guys mind if I help them out?"

"No," Rhavaniel said. "You can't help us in the Book anyway so you might as well do something else you find useful." She turned to Ra'shall. "I don't want to go into the book until tomorrow morning. Let's go talk to Storn in a moment though."

"Good luck," Katla said as she stood up. "Beat his as for me." She walked over to the concerned Nord. "Excuse me," she said.

"I am in no mood to talk, outsider," Deor said. "One of the Skaal has gone missing."

"I see," Katla said. "Is there any way I can help?"

"Baldor Iron-Shaper, our only blacksmith, has disappeared. If you could find him that would be very helpful," Deor said. "He is very important to the village."

"I would gladly help," Katla said. "Did anything unusual happen here around the time of his disappearance?"

"Hm, I don't… Well now that you mention it, I did see something in the woods on the day he disappeared," Deor said. "I saw two elves in the far distance, dragging something behind them. Hunters often visit our lands, so I thought little of it."

Katla nodded. It sounded like Ra'shall may be right. "Where were they headed?" she asked.

"South and west," Deor said.

"I'll try to find Baldor," Katla said. "Do not worry." She walked back to Ra'shall and Rhavaniel and picked her backpack up. She said her goodbyes and headed west out of the village. Thankfully no ash, snow or rain had fallen the past couple of days. She easily found their trail. Dragging a body through loose ash left plenty of trails to follow. They had headed almost straight up the mountain. Katla followed calmly. There was no need to rush, and she might make a mistake. She had no idea where they had taken him. It passed her mind that the elves could have been just hunters like Deor said. She had to check it out at least.

She passed the Temple of Miraak. A broad streak of ash had been removed from the stairs. The Nord warrior moved down. She tracked the elves across the land. They were determined. She could tell that much. Then more footsteps joined with the ones that had been dragging Baldor. The footsteps disappeared up on higher ground. There wasn't as much ash up there so it wasn't as easy to follow. She didn't stop, however. Eventually, she could hear voices. A smirk spread across her lips. A cabin came into view. A group of elves sat outside. She saw the emblem. Thalmor. She knew they had noticed her.

"Unless you're looking for a fight, you'd best walk away," one of the men said.

"Oh, really," Katla said. "I like a good fight. _**Fus Ro Dah**_." She shouted and then she ran forward her sword drawn. The elves tried to recover but weren't given a chance. Katla was on top of them in no time. She slashed one elf's head off before parrying a sword blow from another. She raised her sword above her head and struck down with a heavy blow. He tried to block her but couldn't quite hold it. Her sword cut into his shoulder as he staggered back. She pulled her sword back and cut his head off too. She dodged another strike, grabbed the elf's arm and slammed the pommel of her sword into his face. She heard a crunch as she broke his nose. She pushed him down on the ground and stabbed straight through his armour hitting his heart.

The door to the cabin was locked. She walked back to the soldiers and started going through their pouches. She found a key and a note.

 _I grow impatient with your lack of_

 _Progress. If you cannot break the smith,_

 _I will be forced to find a more capable_

 _Interrogator. I expect your next report_

 _to contain more encouraging results._

 _A_

Katla walked up to the door. She wondered what information the Thalmor wanted from a Skaal blacksmith. She opened the door and walked inside, her sword lowered. The upper floor was empty, but she saw a set of stairs going down. " _ **Laas Yah Nir,"**_ she whispered. There was only one person on the lower floor. She sheathed her sword and headed down.

"Baldor, I have been sent by Deor to find you," Katla said. "Are you hurt?"

"You are the one who freed the Skaal from the dark spell," Baldor said relieved. "No, my wounds are not serious. I don't think the elves were trying to harm me. Perhaps they intended to frighten me. At worst, I have a few bruises and scrapes to show for my ordeal."

"Good," Katla said. She held her hand out and helped him up. "What did the Thalmor want?" she asked.

"I do not know this word Thalmor, but if you mean the elves, they were trying to learn the secrets of forging Stalhrim," Baldor said.

"Stalhrim?" Katla asked. "What is that?" She had never heard of it before.

"Enchanted ice harder than iron and cold as death," Baldor said. He stretched. "Stalhrim can be forged into deadly weapons, but the art is known only to smiths of the Skaal."

"I take it they did not learn these secrets from you," Katla said.

"No, they did not," Baldor said. "Though, I heard them speaking of a map holding the location of a hidden source of Stalhrim. That map belongs to the Skaal. We cannot allow these elves to make weapons out of Stalhrim."

"Let's go there and stop them then," Katla said.

"They were talking of a ship up north," Baldor said. "That is most likely where we can find them."

Katla pulled her backpack off and lifted her white phial out. "Here take a drink. It will make you feel a little better," she said and offered him the phial. Then she rummaged around for some food. "Here eat. You'll need your strength if we are going to chase elves."

Baldor accepted the food and drink. He ate quickly before getting himself ready for the trek.

They walked in silence at first. Katla noticed Baldor looking at her from time to time as she would glance back. "Is there something you're wondering about?" she asked after a while.

"That armour," Baldor said. "Who is the blacksmith?"

Katla almost laughed. She pulled herself together, however. "I make my own weapons and armour," she answered.

"Is that so," Baldor said. "It is very good craftsmanship."

"Thank you," Katal said.

They fell silent once more. Slowly the sun moved down towards the horizon. They settled down for the night against a rock wall. Katla started preparing food while Baldor asked her questions of her past. He learned that she started training to be a blacksmith at the age of fourteen. Her first master had died three years after she had met him. After that, she had travelled around learning from whoever she came across. He learned of her defeat of Alduin. He asked many questions, and she did not mind answering them.

They slept rather soundly that night and woke early.

As they continued north, Baldor started talking. At first, he spoke of his village but slowly he changed the subject to smithing. As they walked on, he taught Katal how to smith with Stalhrim.

"When we get back to the village I'll help you treat your tools so they can handle Stalhrim," Baldor said.

"I would appreciate that," Katla said. She was glad he was willing to share his knowledge with her. She was rather certain it was uncommon.

They reached the ship not long after midday. A snowstorm had rolled in. With a bit of luck, it would blow over fast. As soon as the Thalmor saw them, they attacked. Katla easily disarmed them. "Lay down your arms or die," she said. She had a feeling Baldor would at least want her to give them the option. Since they were Thalmor, she wasn't too interested in that herself considering how they tended to act. They stood for too much of the unrest in Skyrim.

"Never you heathen bitch," one of the men screamed at her before attacking. She pushed him off the boat then the fight started. Most of the elves ended up in the sea. They were far enough north now that ice floated by. It was cold in the water. They would notice that really fast.

The only robed elf was spared the water treatment. Instead, Katla did something she didn't often do. She pulled a poisoned dagger from her belt and stabbed him. It wouldn't necessarily kill him. It would hopefully make sure he stayed away though. She took the map from him and handed it to Baldor. "Here you go Master Blacksmith," she said.

"Thank you," Baldur said.

"Let's get back to the village. Some of the people there are really worried about you," Katla said.

"We should go by this source on the way. You could need some Stalhrim," Baldor said.

"That is a very good idea," Katal said.

…

While Katla was out hunting elves, Rhavaniel had walked up to Storn. "I need to speak with you, elder," she said.

"Speak, Mage," Storn said calmly.

"I have spoken to Hermaeus Mora. He asked for the 'secrets of the Skaal' in exchange for a way to defeat Miraak," Rhavaniel said.

"Hermaeus Mora…" Storn said. "Old Herma-Mora himself. So, he is behind the source of Miraak's power. Of course. We have many tales of Herma-Mora trying to trick us into giving up our secrets to him. And now he comes again for what we have long kept from him."

"It's the only way he will help us. Otherwise, he will protect Miraak, and we will never defeat him then," Rhavaniel said.

"So it falls to me to be the one to give up the secrets to our ancient enemy," Storn said with a sigh. "I do not know if I have the strength to face him. The Tree Stone is still corrupted… the land is still out of balance. But with the other five restored… it may be enough. It will have to be."

"You will give him what he wants then?" Rhavaniel asked. She had almost been holding her breath. She knew that if he didn't agree to do it freely she may have to force it. She didn't want to though. Katla would know and the brunette would not be happy with her. Katla meant a lot to her. She didn't want to disappoint her friend.

"Yes. The Skaal also tell of the day when we must finally give up our secrets. When Herma-Mora finally wins," Storn said. "As Shaman, it is my duty to guard these secrets, but also to decide when it is necessary to give them up. I believe that time is now. If I am wrong, may my ancestors forgive me. Give me the book. I will read it, and speak to old Herma-Mora myself. I will make sure he lives up to his part of the bargain."

"Good luck," Rhavaniel said as she handed him the Black Book she had found down in Nchardak.

"I am trusting that you will make this sacrifice worthwhile," Storn said.

"I promise," Rhavaniel said and she meant it. She never promised something without seeing it through.

Storn's daughter came up behind him. "Father, you must not do this," she said. "That book is… wrong. Evil. Against everything that you have taught me my whole life."

Storn turned to her. "I must Frea," he said. "It is the only way to free Solstheim forever from Miraak's shadow." He moved away from her towards the centre of the village away from the houses. "There comes a time when everything must change," he said. "Nothing that lives remain the same forever. Do not fear for me, my daughter. This is the destiny that the All-Maker has laid out for me."

Frea was holding back tears. Rhavaniel could tell. She did feel a little guilt for that. She hadn't seen her own family in so long. She couldn't understand how Frea felt.

"I stand beside you, father, as always," Frea said.

Storn took a steadying breath. "I am ready for whatever the foul tricks the master of this book has in store for me," he said. He opened the book and let go of it. It stayed hovering in the air. A green glow reached out from the pages.

As tentacles shot out of the book and pierced Storn's body, Hermaeus Mora's voice floated to them. "At last, the Skaal yield up their secrets to me," he said. A single eye appeared in an inky splotch of blackness.

Storn screamed in pain. "You… liar…" he shouted. "I won't… not… for you…"

"Father!" Frea ran forward, but she dared not touch him. "No, stop!" she told Mora. Then she turned to Rhavaniel. "Do something!" she shouted.

"There is nothing I can do," Rhavaniel said.

Hermaeus Mora's eye turned to Rhavaniel. "Little Archmage, you have delivered me the gift I requested," he said. "In return, I will keep my promise, as befits a Prince of Oblivion. Enter Apocrypha. I will aid you in reaching Miraak."

"Father, what have you done," Frea said softly as she kneeled down next to his body. She turned to Rhavaniel. "Go," she said. "My father sacrificed himself so that you could destroy Miraak and lift his master's shadow from the land."

Rhavaniel walked forward and picked up the Book Storn had read from.

"Kill Miraak," Frea said. "Do not fail."

Rhavaniel walked back to Ra'shall. "I don't think we can wait until tomorrow," she said. "We have to go now."

"I think you are right," Ra'shall said as he studied the faces of the people around them.

Rhavaniel switched the book Storn had read with the one they had first seen Miraak in. She felt Ra'shall's hand on her shoulder. She opened the book. They saw the green light. Then something happened. Something she had never experienced before. They were actually taken to Apocrypha. It wasn't just her mind. No, her entire body had been transported this time. In a way that was good. In another not so much.

"This is different," Ra'shall said. He looked around the place they had ended up in. Pages to some book were scattered over the floor. A tower stretched up in the distance. The walls were made out of books. "Isn't that a little dramatic," he said as he looked up at the green sky. It looked like someone had caught wisps in a jar and coloured them green.

"Daedric Princes are like that," Rhavaniel said. She walked forward. "Stay out of the black sludge it is corrosive," she said. "And watch out for tentacles. Don't let them grab you. Apart from that, kill seekers and lurkers and we should be fine."

"Sounds simple enough," Ra'shall said. He followed Rhavaniel as she walked straight across the room.

"We need to find these books," Rhavaniel said as she reached an open book with strange patterns in it. "They will teleport us to another part of this area. It is the only path forward we have."

They grabbed ahold of the book and the world around them changed. They were inside now. Stairs led up on their right. They found a seeker on the next floor. Ra'shall ran forward and stuck a knife in it. "I wonder if they're susceptible to poison," he said.

"I don't know. I haven't tried," Rhavaniel said. She placed a hand on a platform built from what looked like a small set of stairs. She could jump up, but there might be more to it. She continued down the path where she found an old book. The stairs moved out. She looked down at the book. Something told her that she would need it.

They found the next book up those stairs. Through corridors and strange rooms. Another book brought them forward. They continued walking for a while. Then they entered a tunnel. It ended suddenly. Then the floor moved.

"Whoa, that's strange," Ra'shall said. He had grabbed onto Rhavaniel's shoulder.

"Yeah, it is," Rhavaniel said. "This way." She led them down another corridor that also started moving. "Well, that is interesting," she said. They now had nowhere to go but back. The room they walked into was not the one they had entered the corridor from. Rhavaniel found another weatherbeaten book that opened another path. Her feeling that they were important grew every time she found one of those books.

They continued down another tunnel and found more Seekers.

"Poison does seem to work," Ra'shall remarked as he looked down at the twitching body.

"That is good to know," Rhavaniel said as a matter of factly.

"Interestin' light," Ra'shall noted. He pointed through a webbed wall. A bright-green light descended into a pool of sludge from an upside-down pot of tentacles. Rhavaniel walked around the room pulling at the styluses of pods. A lurker appeared from the pool of sludge. Ra'shall snuck up behind it and stabbed it in the back with a poisoned dagger. "Try fire, dear," he told Rhavaniel.

"Of course love," Rhavaniel answered jokingly before her palms filled with fire that she cast at the beast. The lurker's skin boiled and it collapsed. A gate had opened revealing a new set of stairs.

They passed through yet another book.

"Should we get some rest?" Ra'shall asked.

"Yeah, we'll have to," Rhavaniel said. "We can't continue like this. I don't know how long we've been here." The green sky was not very telling as far as time of day was concerned.

"Do you think we'll be safe restin' in here?" Ra'shall asked.

"Yes," Rhavaniel said. "Hemy wants us to get there. He just needs to know that we can manage on our own for most of it."

"I guess he wouldn't deem us worthy if we couldn't even get to the end of this," Ra'shall said.

"That's the way I believe it works," Rhavaniel said.

"Well, I guess we should get some rest then," Ra'shall said.

They woke up again after an undetermined amount of time. Outside the book, Katla and Baldur had dealt with the Thalmor on the ship, been to the Stalhrim deposit and were on their way back to the village.

Ra'shall and Rhavaniel got ready and made sure to eat properly. They entered a room with several pedestals in it. They were glowing faintly.

"Now what do we do?" Ra'shall asked.

"I… I think this has something to do with the books we found earlier," Rhavaniel said. She sat down and brought the books out as Ra'shall moved around the room to make sure that there were no seekers about.

Rhavaniel read through all of the books before getting up. The pedestal before her had a gaping mouth. "Bone extrusions gash and grind in moistened depths of smacking heat. While tearing flesh from adverse bone, the body whole prepares to eat," she said as she placed the book down.

She continued to the left. The next pedestal held an eye. "What takes the world in lightened sense can also seek the outward gleam. They rob the all of essence to report the nothing they have seen," she repeated from the book. She placed it down.

Tentacles danced on the following pedestal. "A writhing mass of heaped appendage slipping grasp the squirming slick. Extend the reach to touch the face; burn the mind, reveal the quick," she said as she placed the book down.

Then she only had one book to go. "Crushing razors, hollow shells that snap, that twitch, that cinch and rend. To hold the subject, bodily, 'til mind blows soft and life meets end," she said as she walked up to the last pedestal. She placed the book down on an image of pincers.

A clash of thunder was heard and the next teleporter book appeared. They entered through it. It felt like they were getting close. Rhavaniel summoned her bow. She would rather be prepared. The first thing they noticed as they walked into the next big room was a Word Wall. Rhavaniel raised her bow and shot down two seekers. "I wonder if I can copy this down for Katla," she said.

"You might as well try it," Ra'shall said. "She might want that word."

Rhavaniel nodded determinedly. She walked up to the wall and sat down with a piece of charcoal and parchment. Slowly she started copying the words down. She couldn't read them, but she was very thorough in copying it down.

Ra'shall was watching the sky as a big leather winged creature came flying in. Its head looked incomplete with a green pattern etched on the top of the neck that looked almost like an eye.

"So you are here to take us to Miraak," Ra'shall said.

The screech that answered him was blood-curdling. He reached out and placed a hand on the beast's long neck. It was probably Mora's response to dragons. That or it was a Daedra cursed dragon. Who knew?

Rhavaniel joined them eventually, and they climbed up on the beast's back so they could fly off. The beast flew them up to the tower in the centre of the area where Ra'shall and Rhavaniel jumped off.

"Now what do we have here?" Miraak said as he noticed them. "I expected a Dragonborn. Not some foolish elf and a cat." He chuckled. "You have come to face your doom. I am almost done. All I have to do is kill you. Then I can return to Solstheim and take care of your meddling little Dragonborn to scared to face me herself. I will be the master of my own fate once again."

There was no point in telling Miraak that Katla wasn't scared of him. If he appeared in Solstheim, she would kill him.

Ra'shall had removed several jars of poison as Miraak spoke. He had placed them out on the ground for Rhavaniel. As soon as Miraak decided to stop talking and attack them instead, Rhavaniel summoned her bow and dipped the arrowhead in one of the jars. She fired the arrow at one of the dragons flying around the tower. Quickly she shot the other two dragons then she cast the bow aside. She rolled out of the way of a fire cloud and pulled the Staff of Magnus from the side of her pack. "Fight the power of the et'Ada Magnus," Rhavaniel shouted as she sent a beam from the staff at Miraak. She cast herself out of the way of another shout. Miraak started approaching her his blade raised. Then Ra'shall appeared. His sword was coated in poison. He slashed at Miraak, and the Dragonborn had to parry.

Rhavaniel moved around the men making sure that the beam of her staff never left Miraak. She was focusing on draining his lifeforce.

Miraak turned ethereal and disappeared. While he was gone Rhavaniel ran back to the poison jars to shoot new arrows at the dragons. She wanted to keep the poison running through their veins. She grabbed the staff once more as Miraak reappeared. "Hermaeus Mora is laughing at us, you know," he said before turning to one of his dragons. " _ **Kruziikrel, ziil los dii du!"**_ he shouted. The dragon's soul was pulled to his body. Rhavaniel's jaw clenched. She was trying to drain his very lifeforce, and he had just replaced it with that of his dragon's lifeforce.

Ra'shall rushed forward once more. He jammed his sword into Miraak's chest. It left him vulnerable and the next time Miraak shouted Ra'shall was hit point blank. He was thrown back and crashed into a pillar.

"Ra'shall!" Rhavaniel screamed. He didn't move. She couldn't stop though. She had to defeat Miraak. She drew a dagger and moved past the poison jars. She dipped the dagger. "You will not win this Miraak," she shouted. She dashed forward and jammed her dagger into his side. "Try taking your precious dragon's souls now."

Miraak stumbled forward. He grabbed the knife and pulled it out of his side. "You little meddling …" he breathed in heavily. He turned to one of his dragons. " _ **Relonikiv, zii los dii du!"**_ he shouted. Nothing happened. He got up and threw himself at Rhavaniel with a roar. She lost her grip on the Staff of Magnus as she had to grab him. She pushed him back into a pool of black sludge.

"This cannot be," Miraak breathed. "I am the master of my own fate!" Tentacles grabbed at the Dragonborn's body.

"Did you think to escape me, Miraak?" Mora asked sluggishly. "You can hide nothing from me here."

"No," Miraak whispered. "No you will not win this time," he shouted this time. His body started burning ridding himself of the poison that Rhavaniel had injected into him. He pulled the souls from his two remaining dragons with a single shout.

Mora's tentacles wrapped tightly around the body, but Miraak wasn't done yet. Rhavaniel couldn't hear what he shouted. All she saw was light.

…

Katla smiled as Baldur handed her tools back to her. "Thank you," she said. She packed them back down into her backpack next to the Stalhrim she had mined. Then a strange noise reached her ears. She turned around and started running for the Black Book strapping her backpack on as she did so. The book was convulsing. Skaal approached as well. "Stay back," Katla shouted. She had a really bad feeling. Then tentacles shot out of the book. Katla was grabbed and pulled towards the pages. She was about to shout herself free when light surrounded her. The book shook one last time before imploding.

The Skaal standing on the sidelines were left blinking the light out of their eyes. Katla was gone and so was the book.

All that was left was a scorched patch of green on the ground.


	6. The Fellowship

The Fellowship

Katal was breathing heavily. What had happened? The light and the pull. She sat up slowly. Was she blind? She blinked trying to get the green light flashes out of her field of vision. She had shouted just as the light appeared. Her body was still shimmering blue. So, she wasn't blind. She stood up slowly. She could feel her backpack and the weight of her sword. She took the pack off so she could inspect her belongings. Everything seemed to be there.

Now she just had to figure out where she was. She focused. She was not good at magic, but she did know a few spells. Slowly she managed to create a small orb of light. It was nothing in comparison to Rhavaniel's candlelight. She couldn't even get it to hover. It did, however, light up her path. She placed a hand against the wall. It was rough stone. It definitely wasn't natural though.

Someone had worked on those walls. She walked slowly through long winding corridors for who knows how long. Eventually, she sat down, had some food, and decided to get some sleep. She had no idea where she was going. Hopefully, she would find her way out before she ran out of food.

She woke up and kept moving. "This isn't getting me anywhere," she whispered. " _ **Laas Yah Nir,"**_ she breathed. She looked around. A smile spread across her lips as she saw souls light up. She took a right and started moving faster. Now she had a direction to head in. Hopefully, she would find someone that knew where she was. She knew it was more likely that the group of people were going to try to kill her, but she still thought it was worth it to try.

Katla took another turn. Now she could hear voices. She couldn't tell what they were saying though. She whispered once more so she could see living beings around her again. Dozens of lights appeared. She walked closer to the original group.

Where those children?

She could see them now. She was standing right by a door looking into a room. There were nine of them and four were really short. They couldn't be children. No one would bring a child to a place like this. There was an old man as well. The others Katla had a hard time seeing from where she stood. She walked into the room. "There are dozens of people heading this way. I hope you know them," she said. Swords were pointed in her direction. Her eyes moved over their faces. They had not understood her. She held her hands up in a non-aggressive manner. Her eyes moved over their faces again until they landed on a fair face. "There are dozens of creatures heading this way," Katla said speaking the Bosmer dialect of elvish hoping he would understand her.

"Are you certain?" the old man asked concerned. He also spoke elvish.

"Yes," Katla said.

Then the sound of rolling drums reached their ears. A great horn was blown and other horns answered. Katla turned around. The lights were moving closer. "They are coming," she said remembering to use elvish. She loosened her sword. The others were talking to each other behind her. It sounded like the old man was berating himself. Two humans ran passed her, one Breton and one Imperial, to barricade the door. They were told off when they tried to do it to the other door.

Katla could understand that. They couldn't stay there forever.

"You can fight?" the Breton asked her in Elvish.

"Yes," Katla answered. She pulled her sword and his eyes widened as he saw the giant blade.

"Good," he said despite his surprise.

Katla cast a glance back. Everyone seemed to be protecting the little people. They were important somehow that was clear. She could hear their enemies now. She walked up to the barricaded door. "They will break through," she said.

"I know," the Breton responded.

Katla shifted. "Give me swing room. I'll keep them under wraps. Focus on the other door and get us a way out of here," she told him. "Place the elf to help me or use a bow. You'll get in my way otherwise. Let's just get everyone out of here."

The man paused for only a moment before he moved a called out orders to the others.

Katla focused on the door she was guarding. Pieces of wood started flying past her one way and arrows the other as the elf fired quickly. Then a huge foot slammed through the door. Katla didn't flinch. The door was smashed to pieces in front of her. " _ **Faas Ru Maar,"**_ she hissed. The big ogre like being turned around and started trampling through the army behind him in fear. Her sword swung cutting through lines of heads. She did not know what the beings they faced were, but she was determined to make sure the group she had found made it out alive. She didn't dare using a dragon shout loudly since they were in a cave despite how much she wanted to. She slew many creatures. Any that made it past her were killed by the others.

The attackers were quickly discouraged. Many of them turned tail and ran. Then one, bigger than the rest, came forward. Katla shifted as he tried to stab her with his spear. A smirk spread across her face. He attacked her again, and she grabbed the spear pulling it right out of his hands. Then she moved forward shifted around his big shield and cut him right across the back. She kicked him down and moved forward. She cut his head off. The remaining creatures ran off screaming.

The old man shouted something to the others and they took off. Katla fastened her blade and ran after them. An exchange took place between the old man and the Breton. They did not seem to agree.

"Go with them," the old man told her in Elvish. "They need you more than I."

Katla nodded. She ran after the others. She managed to light another candlelight in the palm of her hand as the stairs were utterly dark. She moved forward so she was running in their midst. Her light wasn't good, but it allowed them to see where they placed their feet. They waited at the bottom of the stairs for only a moment before the old man joined them. He spoke to the others before they continued moving. Katla understood the urgency. She didn't mind being excluded. Right now she just wanted to help them get out. She could ask questions later. They must have decided the same.

The light in her palm was overpowered by a fiery red sheen eventually. It looked like the very walls were on fire. They stopped for only a moment, and the old man spoke once more. He turned to Katla for only a moment. "I know the way out," he told her. It was the bare minimum of information, but it was enough. They would get out. That was good enough for her. She was following once more. Her larger frame protected the little people.

The others suddenly spoke up relieved. She saw them pointing to a narrow bridge. Enemies followed behind them. She stopped at the bridge and turned around. She heard the elf scream in fear. A darkened shape stepped out of the flames that had sprung up behind them. Katla drew her sword as the shape sprung up in flames. She glanced over her shoulder. The others still had a long way to go. They needed more time. " _ **Iiz Slen Nus,"**_ she shouted just as a horn rang out behind her. She had frozen them to the ground, but it would not hold them for long. She ran towards the others. Most of them were storming across the bridge. Not the old man though. He was standing still just before the bridge. She stopped as she reached him.

"I will face this foe," the man said.

"Are you sure?" Katla asked.

He looked at her. It was possible that she could face their foe and win, but he could not take the risk. "I am certain," he said. "Go."

Katla gave him a curt nod. The two humans had stopped at the other end of the bridge. "Let's go," she said.

"No," the Breton said.

"We won't do any good here," Katla said. "Will you let the others die just so you can be stubborn."

He held her gaze for a moment that seemed like minutes. "You're right," he finally said agreeing with her. He wasn't happy about it though. Together they ran and caught up with the others. Once they reached them, Katla looked back. The old man looked frail against his mighty burning enemy. It's whip hanging by its side. To her, it looked like a great Flame Atronach or the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon. An arrow whistled by her ear. She narrowed her eyes at the walls. Her bow was brought out and she opened her quiver. She pulled some of her lesser arrows from the quiver and fired back. The creatures lining the walls fell as her arrows hit.

Then the old man raised his staff and slammed it down against the bridge. A loud crack echoed through the hall. Slowly, almost in slow motion, the giant fiery beast fell towards the darkened depths. In a last desperate attempt to bring his opponent with him he swung his whip one last time. It curled around the old man's knees and dragged him with it.

Katla could not understand the man's last words, but she was not stupid. She might not know the words, but she understood their meaning. She grabbed one of the little people as he tried to run down towards the now broken bridge. She lifted him up and started heading towards the exit. She wasn't the only one. With grim faces, the men made sure that the other little folk made it out too. As they reached the door, they were met with blinding light. Katla placed the one she had carried down. She looked towards the great doors. She moved back towards them. She did not want to be followed even if that meant collapsing the whole cave. The bridge may have been broken, but she had a feeling the creatures in there could climb the walls.

When she returned to the others having done her best, she noticed the broken look in their eyes. The old man must have meant a lot to them. She turned to the Breton. "I have done my best to collapse the gates. It will hold them back for some time, but…" she sighed.

"I know," he said. He spoke to his companions. They started moving slowly down the mountain path. At one point the shortest man in the group apart from the little people walked aside. Katla did not know what for and did not feel like it was appropriate to ask. For now, she simply followed the company. Her eyes kept trailing to one of the little folk. His head had a nasty wound on it. "He needs a chance to rest, and we must tend to his wound," Katla pointed out.

A few orders were given. "Can you carry him? There is a spot to rest just up ahead," the Breton asked.

"Of course," Katla said. She lifted the little guy up and carried him with her. They found a piece of flat ground right by two rivers to rest by. Katla let the guy down and pulled her backpack open. She lifted her white phial out of the bag. "Does any of you speak elvish?" she asked the little folk.

"I do," one of them said.

"Good," Katla said. "Can you tell your friend that this potion will heal his wound."

"OK." He spoke to his friend for a moment.

"What are your names by the way?" Katla asked. She cleaned the wound out with the potion.

"I'm Frodo," the one that knew elvish said. "He is Sam." He pointed at the one she was helping. "And these two are Merry and Pippin." He pointed at the other two.

"It is nice to meet you all. I'm Katla," Katla said. She tilted her head to the side. "I know this is not the best of times to ask," she said. "But would you mind teaching me the language you all speak with each other. I'm a fast learner and it would be easier for us all to talk to one another if we all spoke the same language."

"I… I don't know how good I will be at it," Frodo said. "But we can try."

Katla smiled at the dark-haired man. "What are your people called?" she asked.

"Hobbits," Frodo said.

"Hobbits," Katla repeated. "I'm a Nord." She realised she was still wearing her helmet. She pulled it off. "I'm sorry about that," she said. She smiled at their shocked faces. "Didn't expect me to be a woman?" she asked.

"No," Frodo shook his head.

Katla rose. She turned around slowly it was obvious that it wasn't just the hobbits that were surprised she was a woman. "Is it unusual for women to be warriors?" she asked.

"Quite," the elf said. He had been the first to recover. It wasn't as unusual for elven women to fight as it was human ones.

"I see," Katla said. "would you mind telling me your names."

"I am Legolas," the elf said.

"And I am Aragorn," the Breton said. "This is Boromir." He pointed at the Imperial. "And Gimli." He motioned to the short man. "And you are Katla, but how did you end up in Moria?"

"I don't know," Katla said truthfully. "I was waiting for my companions and there was a bright green light. I was pulled somehow. When I came to, I was in the tunnels." She knew her story sounded strange. "I am born and raised in Skyrim on Nirn. I have a feeling that you have never heard of Skyrim and this isn't Nirn."

"That would be correct," Aragorn said. "For now I will simply believe you. Later if we get the time I would like to speak to you further about this." They didn't have the time to make sure she wasn't lying.

"Of course," Katla said. She returned to the hobbits. "Do you mind starting the lessons now," she asked.

Frodo shook his head. "We can start," he said. He was glad to have something to do.

They walked together as the company took off. Katla kept an eye on Sam as they continued walking. He seemed to feel a lot better now. The Hobbits slowly taught her their language. It amused her how eager they were. Her clinging laughter brought up everyone's spirits just a little. They were trying their best not to think about their recent loss. They had lost their leader.

Slowly, the sun moved down towards the horizon in the west, yet they kept moving.

Boromir walked up next to Aragorn. "Are you sure she can be trusted?" he asked.

"No," Aragorn said. "But she did risk her own life to save ours. You know as well as I that orcs would not be able to come up with a plan like that. They would never allow themselves to end up losing to a human."

Boromir thought about it for a moment. "You are right," he agreed. "She was definitely fighting them for real."

Sometime later they reached a forest. Both Aragorn and Legolas seemed very glad to walk beneath the trees. "What is going on?" Katla asked Frodo.

"We have reached Lothlórien," Frodo told her in Elvish. "It is one of the homes of the elves."

"That explains why Legolas is happy I guess," Katla said. She looked at the treas. "I have been to elven forests before. I recognise the feeling. This one is a bit more serene though."

Boromir obviously didn't want to walk into the forest, but Aragorn dealt with it. Whatever he said worked. They headed in among the trees. The tree trunks were grey and what few leaves were left were dull and golden. They walked for easily another mile before they reached a stream. The water was clear. The riverbed was laid with stones. Once again the others spoke. Katla did not mind. As soon as she noticed Legolas entering the water, she followed him. She was the first one across. "We'll get settle down and have some food," Aragorn told her. "Don't start a fire."

"I know, the elves don't like fires in their forests," Katla said. "That doesn't mean we can't have hot food though." She found a rather big rock and held it up to her face. "Yol," she whispered. She placed the now hot rock down next to a few others before pulling food out of her pack.

Sam sat down next to her. "You come…" he said something else too, but Katla didn't understand.

"He said you come prepared," Frodo said. He had just come up to sit next to them. He looked at Katla's pot that she had placed on the rock.

Katla turned to Sam. "I believe in always," she asked Frodo about a few words, "having what I may need with me," she said in in common tongue.

Sam smiled. "You learn fast," he said.

"That I do," Katla said speaking common once more. She may not have prepared them a feast by the time she served food, but she was fairly close. No one would walk away from that meal hungry. They did not stay by the stream, however. Instead, their plan was to take refuge in the trees. They headed someway further into the forest. Legolas made to climb up in one of the trees but was sternly commanded down.

Katla said nothing. She had seen their auras but knew elves well enough to know it could only be them in their forest. She hadn't put her helmet back on after taking it off back by the rivers. There hadn't been any reason to. She listened as the elves spoke. A small smile spread across her lips. She watched as Legolas and Frodo climbed up the tree. So it was that hobbit in particular that held extra meaning. Interesting. Then an elf came down out of the tree. He walked up to Aragorn and spoke to him.

"I can speak for myself master elf," Katla said as they had been speaking in the elven tongue and were asking about her.

"You are unknown to us," the elf said. "The others we have heard of but not you."

"That is because I was not part of their company from the beginning I would assume," Katla said. "I joined them just recently. I come to this forest in peace. It is long since I walked on elven grounds."

"You know our language," he said.

"Yes, one of my close companions is elvish," Katla said. Not that it was Rhavaniel that had taught her elvish. She had learnt the language from her elven Master blacksmith.

"Your companion is not with you," the elf said.

"No, unfortunately not," Katla said. "We were separated some time ago."

"You are welcome to take refuge in the trees," he said. "My name is Haldir."

"I am Katla," Katla said. "Thank you for your hospitality." She climbed up in one of the trees and settled down to sleep. She had no problems sleeping but woke up in the middle of the night. She sat up. She never woke up for no reason. She grabbed her bow.

"Yrch," one of the elves said.

"Orc?" Katla asked.

"Yes," he said.

They had been fighting orcs? Katla was confused. The orcs on Nirn was nothing like the ones she had seen so far in this new world.

"Go back to sleep. We can deal with this," the elf said.

Katla nodded and placed her bow back with her things. She trusted that they knew what they were doing. Next time she woke it was morning. The sun had yet to rise, but Katla knew it was time to get up. She dropped down from the tree. She was the first one up at least the first one out of their company. She was sure the elves were awake already. Slowly the others appeared out of the trees and join her. They set out together with the elves once everyone was awake.

As they walked, Frodo continued teaching Katla common. They walked in the middle of the group. Haldir walked up front leading them. They walked along the Celebrant for quite some time before Haldir suddenly turned and had them facing the river.

"One of our own is across the river," Rúmil, Haldir's brother told Katla. It had become clear to the elves that she did not speak common.

"I noticed," Katla said. "We are going over?"

"Yes, we are," Rúmil said.

Haldir whistled like a bird and the elf appeared. A rope was thrown over. "That is our path," Rúmil told Katla. Haldir moved back and forth over the rope. Katla smiled. Rúmil mentioned something about other ropes, but she didn't need them. She walked out on the rope and headed straight across. She noticed the looks on the elves' faces. "Not all humans fall over their own feet," she told them and they laughed. She had been trained by a Khajiit after all. She may not like stealing, but Ra'shall had still taught her the basics. Walking over ropes was small potatoes. She caught one of the extra ropes that Rúmil threw over. She fastened it to aid the others.

They all moved across some more surefooted than others. Katla reached out and grabbed Sam as soon as she could so he wouldn't fall. "Steady little one," she said in broken common. He smiled up at her shakily. "Thank you," he said.

Once all of them but Rúmil had gone across the ropes were untied and pulled back. Rúmil walked back the way they had come. He was the lookout.

Katla turned around as irritated voices were heard. "What is going on?" she asked the new elf.

"The Dwarf does not want his eyes bound," the elf said. "We will not allow him to continue unless he accepts."

Katla could tell that there was animosity between the elves and dwarves. "If his eyes must be bound then I will undergo the same treatment," she said. "We are of the same company. We should follow the same rules."

Aragorn smiled thankfully at her. He brought her argument up before the rest. Legolas obviously did not like it but eventually agreed. Katla was bereft of her sight. It didn't bother her. She had walked blindly before. She willingly walked in front of the rest now. Only Haldir walked in front of her. She could see the colour of his aura even through the blindfold. She had no problems following. Breathing in deeply she accepted the peace the forest wished to give her.

They walked all day and into the eave before settling down for the night. Even then their eyes were not unbound. They slept soundly upon the ground until the next day. Around noon the next day more elves appeared. They spoke fast and long. Whatever was said led to the elves removing the blinds from their eyes. Katla looked around. They stood in an open area. The grass was crisply green and little flowers of white and yellow shone like stars in the night sky. Circles of trees topped a hill. The centre one was white as snow and reached for the sky high above their heads.

Wonder filled the eyes of Katla's companions. She smiled softly. It was a beautiful scene. She could not deny that. She had seen many beautiful places though. Her reaction wasn't as strong as it would have been once. Even upon the sands of Elsweyr, she had found places of beauty. The heat had made it hard to appreciate them fully, but she had seen them.

The party stayed there, in the glade, for some time before continuing. Frodo and Sam had travelled with Haldir to the top of the great tree and looked out over the world. They were deep in thought as they returned. Aragorn had disappeared for some time. Katla had seen him standing by himself with one of the small flowers in his hands. There was a sadness and a longing to him. She wondered who he longed for.

The path ahead was not long. Before nightfall, they had reached the elven city. Katla studied the buildings and realised that it looked much like Falinesti in Valenwood. Though she doubted that the trees of Caras Galadhon moved.

They followed a road paved with pure white stones through the gates of the city. Their path winded through the city along walkways and up flights of stairs until they reached a high place. Katla fell in behind everyone else this time. They were headed to the rulers of the realm. Usually, she tried to avoid rulers. She found that their minds were often too narrow and their reasoning flawed.

They headed up a steep ladder higher and higher. From time to time they would move to the side and rest upon one of the many platforms that appeared along the way.

Eventually, they reached the top where a great platform or talan, as the elves called it, spread out before them. On it, a great hall was built. It was big enough to rival any hall of men. Katla tilted her head to the side. She had seen Falinesti and the Bosmer would never have built on their tree. These elves were obviously different. She entered the hall behind the others.

"You are being brought before our Lord Celeborn and our Lady Galadriel," the elf that had joined them by the river told Katla. He realised that no one had spoken so she had understood fully in a while.

Katla lowered her head in thanks. She was glad to know their names. It made it easier for her. There were many other elves in the hall, but the lord and lady sat apart from the rest. They rose to greet their guests and spoke once more in the common tongue. Katla lowered her head. She would not ask them to change language just so she would understand. There were more people in her company that did not understand elvish. She stood alone. They greeted her companions one by one by name. When they reached her they stood silent.

Aragorn said something to them and the lady walked forward slowly. Her golden hair framed her face. "You are unknown to me," she said softly in elvish. "You walk this earth yet leave no trace."

Then Katla understood. The Lady of the woods had power. The band that Rhavaniel had helped her create was shielding her from the lady. Instead of taking it of Katla removed her gauntlets and held her hands out to the lady before her. Galadriel took her hands and her eyes widened. "So different yet the same," she whispered. "You have travelled a long way young one." She let go of Katla's hands. "Please be seated Katla. Join the others," she said.

Katla sat down next to Gimli as Galadriel moved back to her seat next to her husband. As her hair was like gold his hair was like silver. Katla wondered briefly how old these two elves were. Something told her she had never met one that had seen as many years as them before.

Galadriel apologised to Katla. They would be speaking Common for some time now. "That is fine," Katla said.

They spoke at length. Aragorn on Katla right told her of what they spoke but did not have time to give her much detail. She learnt that the old man they had travelled with was called Gandalf. They would receive aid from the elves, but she wasn't told what they would do for them.

Eventually, everyone fell silent and Galadriel looked upon every member of the company. Very few could meet her gaze for long. Katla wondered briefly why that was. Perhaps Galadriel had not used her full power when gazing upon the Dragonborn. Maybe Katla hadn't been affected the same way for other reasons. Then they were dismissed, but Katla did not leave with the others. She stayed behind.

"You have travelled a long way," Galadriel said. "You do not have to get involved in this. It seems to me that you have done enough in your life."

Katla shrugged. "I'm not one to leave people who may need my help," she said. "I do not know what their mission is, but I will help them all the same."

"You will aid them despite not knowing what their mission is?" Galadriel asked.

"I will," Katla said.

"Then their trip through Moria was not all in vain," Celeborn said.

"Maybe not," Katla said.

"Go rest now," Galadriel said. "We will speak more another day."

Katla bowed. "As you say, my lady," she said. She headed back down the ladder. She smiled at the others as she passed them. She did not wish to settle down that night without having cleaned up. She found an elf and asked her for a place to bathe. The fair woman led her down to a stream "Would you like a dress?" the elf asked.

Katla smiled at her. "That would be nice?" she said. She dropped her backpack down on the ground and started undoing the straps of her armour. She slipped into the cold water and submerged herself. She undid the plait that kept her hair out of her way normally. She took her time in the water. After Moria, she really wanted to clean up properly.

She emerged from the water pulling her hair back. She heard giggling and turned around. The elf was back, but she had not come alone. Katla got out of the water. One of the elves walked forward. She held out a towel.

"Thank you," Katla said and she dried off. Then she was given a dress made out of a silky fabric so fine she had never worn anything like it before. It clung to her body like a second skin. She picked up her backpack and the elves led her away. Slowly they dried and combed her hair. "You have very nice hair."

"Thank you," Katla said. She did not return to the others that night, and the following day she was sitting by herself. She had removed a chunk of stalhrim from her bag and was slowly working little pieces of it onto her diadem. She might as well make sure it held. She didn't know when she would meet Rhavaniel next.

She returned to the others that evening. Slowly she strode into their camp. The touch of blue crystal upon her brow and her long dark hair flowing down her back made her look as if she almost belonged in Lothlórien with the elves. She sat down with Frodo and they continued their lesson. She truly wanted to be able to speak to everyone in their group.

They stayed with the elves for several days. It occurred to Katla that many of the company had a hard time keeping track of time. Everyone walked around in a light daze. They were calm but not quite happy. Katla was not affected the same way. She knew how long they had been staying with the elves. She was sure it was better not to tell them just how long they stayed though. She was certain Aragorn knew and he didn't tell them.

During that time Katla became almost fluent in day to day Westron. She spoke much with the Hobbits and learned many things about them. She now knew Pippin was the youngest. Sam was, in fact, a gardener, and Merry seemed to be the reckless bachelor. Though he was still young.

"What troubles you Frodo?" Katla asked the small man one day.

"Everything seems so hopeless," Frodo said.

Katla smiled. "Even in the darkest of times there is hope," she said. She held her hands out and a small light started glowing. "Only if we give up hope will it go away forever. The people you have with you are good people. We will help you."

"You can do magic?" Frodo asked.

Katla chuckled. "No," she said. "Not really. If you saw a true mage perform this spell it would shine like a second sun. Maybe one day you will meet her. If we are lucky she is here in Middle-earth somewhere."

"It would be nice if you're right," Frodo said.

Katla wandered around a lot while they were there as well. One day she came upon Aragorn as he sat by himself. He looked up at her as she came walking towards him. "What path will you take now?" he asked her.

"The same as you if you will allow it," Katla said. "I have listened to the elves here long enough. They speak of sadness and decline. A darkness is brewing. I have fought something similar before. I will not stop now. I may not know exactly what is going on, but I would be happy to help."

"Lady Galadriel believe your story so I do as well," Aragorn said. "It would be of great help to us if you would come. The Hobbits seem to take to you." He smiled softly. Years of strife seemed to disappear for just a moment and he appeared a younger man. "It would make me feel better if you do come along."

Katla bowed her head. She walked along. There was little reason to stop. He had his own thoughts to deal with.

It was late and Katla was once again wandering around. She came to a glade where she saw the Lady Galadriel together with Sam and Frodo. The Hobbits one by one walked up a few steps to look down at a shimmering bow of water. Red light spread out of it as Frodo looked down. Katla froze in her steps. She had been about to leave since she hadn't been invited, but now she wasn't so sure. She wasn't close enough to hear what they spoke of though. Then the air around Galadriel changed. Katla moved forward with the speed of a dragon. She kneeled down and wrapped her arms around Frodo. He was holding out a simple golden band. Katla's hands reached out to close his hands about it. She hissed. The ring held power. She pulled his hands back to his chest.

Galadriel stood before them beautiful yet terrible and taller than before. "Instead of a Dark Lord, you will have a Queen. And I will not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the morning and the night. Fair as the sea and the sun and the snow upon the mountain," she said.

"No, you will not," Katla rebuked.

Next, to them, Sam's eyes widened as the bright and beautiful lady of the forest was challenged by a curling dragon dressed in shimmering green.

Galadriel looked down upon the very same dragon, but to her, the dragon grew. Then she laughed. She lifted her hand and a great light erupted from the ring on her finger. For a moment only she could be seen. She shrank and returned to herself. A simple elf woman once more. "I passed the test," she said. "I will diminish, and pass into the West, and remain Galadriel."

Katla stood up once more. She let go of Frodo. The two ladies stood there one light as the sun and the other dark as the earth.

Sam still standing beside them wondered if what he had seen held any truth. Had he really seen a dragon?

Galadriel was the one to break the silence. "Let us return," she said. "In the morning you must depart, for now, we have chosen, and the tides of faith are flowing." She looked at Katla. "See now clearly that you will play your part well," she said. "I gladdens my heart that you have chosen to go with them."

Katla bowed her head. "All I ask is that your people keep their eyes open. If they see Ra'shall or Rhavaniel send them after me," she said.

"We will do so," Galadriel said. "I will let our scouts know."

"Thank you," Katla said. She did not walk with them back. Galadriel would not pose any threat to the Hobbits now, and the lady of the woods had things to tell them that they needed to know.

Later that night the fellowship were called to once again meet with the lord and lady. Katla chose not to attend with them. Whatever they had to say would not change her mind. She instead made sure everyone's things were packed and ready to go. Later when they returned they spoke for a long time about what road to take. She did not care. She would go where she was needed. It seemed to her that Boromir feared for his people since they would be the first to be attacked. It was possible that she could do more good there than with the Ring. At least now she understood that the Ring was the mission.

Katla walked over to Aragorn. He seemed truly divided in what to do. "If you feel the need to go with Frodo then do so," she said. "I can go with Boromir. Trust me I can make a difference on that battlefield. If you want to go with Boromir then I can go with Frodo. We are going to have to decide, but it doesn't have to be now."

Aragorn studied her for a moment. Galadriel had told him he could trust Katla. He wanted to trust the female warrior. He considered her words for a moment then he chuckled. "You're right," he said. "We'll travel downriver and decide later."

"Boromir really wants the Ring to go to Gondor," Katla said.

"Part of him thinks we can use the ring to defeat the Dark Lord," Aragorn said

"But the ring belongs to the Dark Lord I take it," Katla said. "So it wouldn't work so well against him."

"It twists the minds of men," Aragorn said.

"I'll stay close to Frodo," Katla said. "If Boromir tries anything, I'll be there. Let's split the responsibility a little. It won't look strange for me to hang around him. I've been doing that since I joined after all."

"I'll leave that up to you then," Aragorn said. "At least for now."

Katla smiled as she rose. She walked back to her things. They would be leaving in the morning, and she was ready to get back out on the road.


	7. The Fall of Rauros

The Fall of Rauros

The next morning elves appeared. They carried with them food for the journey and extra clothes should they need it. Katla opened her backpack and packed the gifts down easily. It was explained to her that the bread she was given was called lembas and it could easily keep a grown man moving for an entire day. She almost rolled her eyes at them, but she accepted the gift. Then she was handed a cloak with her clothes. She thanked them but knew she would most likely never wear it. Ra'shall might like it if they ever met him, though. She packed it down with the rest.

She heard Pippin ask if the cloaks were magical and almost burst out laughing. As she understood it, magic wasn't as common in Middle-earth as it was in Tamriel. They finished packing.

Haldir walked up to the party. He had returned from the north to guide them once more. It was noon by the time they arrived by the sparkling grey water of the river they would travel on. There were four slim well-built boats waiting there for them.

They were instructed to take good care of them, and they would carry whatever weight they may need to place within them. Katla would ride alone in one boat holding most of their packs with her. Boromir, Merry and Pippin would ride together while Aragorn rode with Frodo and Sam. Legolas and Gimli rode together. During their time in Lothlórien, the odd combination had become fast friends.

The elves suggested getting used to stepping in and out of the boats there where there was a landing-place. Katla walked over to her boat and settled down. If anyone else wanted to join her later that wouldn't be a problem they could just distribute the packs she had with them differently in that case. They moved away from the shore slowly. Katla moved her light leaf shaped paddle through the water calmly. She wished Rhavaniel was there. And Ra'shall. She missed her friends.

As they turned around a sharp bend in the river, a beautiful sight stood before them. It was a slender ship in the likeness of a great swan. On the ship was lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. The lady was singing with a voice like chiming bells. It was a sad song. A song of longing for the sea.

As they reached the ship, Galadriel looked down upon them. "We have come to say one last farewell," she said, "and to speed you with blessings from our land."

"Though you have been our guests," Celeborn said, "you have not yet dined with us, and we invite you, therefore, to a parting feast here between the flowing waters that will take you far from Lórien."

They followed the ship over to the riverbank. There on the green grass, a feast was laid out. They settled down together and ate. Katla studied her companions. She saw that Frodo barely touched the food. She would have to keep an eye on him.

As they finished eating, Celeborn spoke with them of their path forward. He warned them of the Forest Fangorn should they head for Minas Tirith. Boromir claimed the stories of the forest to be nothing by wives' tales, but Katla was not so sure. Old tales sometimes held more truth than people were willing to believe. She would keep the Lord's warning in mind in case she ever went that way.

Galadriel brought out a parting cup and they all drank in farewell. Afterwards, she asked them to stay seated because she had brought gifts for all of them. She turned first to Aragorn. "Here is the gift from Celeborn and Galadriel to the leader of your company," she said to him, and she gave him a sheath that had been made to fit his sword. It was wonderfully made with tracery of flowers and leaves wrought of silver and gold. "The blade that is drawn from this sheath shall not be stained or broken even in defeat," she told him. Then she asked if there was something else she could offer.

His answer confirmed for Katla that there was a woman in his life since his response spoke of a gift that Galadriel could not give. It was, however, something she had protected leading Katla to believe that the bride Aragorn sought was of Galadriel's blood.

Galadriel agreed with Aragorn that it was not her gift to give, but she did offer him a precious green gem that had been left in her care. It was set in a brooch of silver wrought in the likeness of an eagle. Once it had belonged to her daughter and had been handed on to her granddaughter. Katla smiled softly. Aragorn was in love with Galadriel's granddaughter. It seemed somehow fitting.

To Boromir, she gave a belt of gold and to Merry and Pippin silver belts with little daggers. She gave Legolas a bow like the ones her own people used. It was longer and stouter than the one he had carried so far.

Sam received a gift that would do him no good during their quest, but once he was back home he would be able to sow the greatest garden there ever was outside of elven lands. He had been given soil from her private garden and several little seeds.

Then she turned to Gimli. She asked him what a Dwarf would ask of the Elves.

"Nothing," Gimli answered. "It is enough for me to have seen the Lady Galadriel, and to have heard her gentle words."

Katla hid a smirk. He had just baffled every single elf nearby. Her smile grew as Galadriel asked for him to name a gift she could give him and he kindly asked for a single strand of her hair. The elves had not expected it that much was clear. She picked opened up her pack and cut a piece of dragonhide which she quickly formed into a pouch. She held it out to Gimli. "This will protect your gift no matter what danger you may face on the road ahead," she told him softly.

The Dwarf looked up at her with a thankful gaze and accepted her gift. He placed within the pouch the hairs that he had been gifted.

Galadriel had turned to Katla. "Once again I do not know what to gift you," she said. Katla rose. "There is no gift I would ask of you," she said. "None but the opportunity to return here once our quest is done. I will hopefully then have my companions with me and I wish for them to see the glory of Lothlórien themselves."

Once again the elves were shocked. From an elf they may have expected such an answer but not from a human.

Galadriel smiled. "You are welcome back," she said. "We would be glad to see you here once more."

Katla sat back down. She shared a small smile with Gimli.

Next and last was Frodo. To him, Galadriel gifted a vial with water from her fountain that had captured the light of the star Eärendil. It would shine in the dark when he needed it. "Let this be a light to you in dark places, when all other light is lost," she told him.

Then it was time to leave. They returned to their boats and the elves pushed them out into the stream. They waved their last goodbye before they were taken far away from the beautiful forest.

Tears were shed as they travelled further and further from the heart of the forest. Katla listened to the Legolas and Gimli. They truly were saddened by their departure. She did not quite understand them. Nor did she understand the elves. They spoke as if there was nothing more in this world for them. It made her want to roll her eyes. It was foolish. There was always space for those willing to live on. Though she was used to a more diverse culture. Even in Skyrim the home of the Nords there were many elves living with them. She came from a different place.

Slowly they moved down the river. Katla could feel her companions' wish to delay their choice of what path to take as much as possible. She could not fault them. If Rhavaniel and Ra'shall were with them, she would have sent Ra'shall with Frodo and possibly his closest companion Sam. She would have advised for no one else to go with them since no one could hide like Ra'shall. She didn't have that option now though.

From time to time during their journey down the river, they had to bring the boats up to the riverside and carry them. The water was too dangerous for them to continue on its foaming surface.

Then as the days past the company grew uneasy. The trees that previously felt like a protective barrier now seemed to hold watching eyes and roaming hands. Each member of the party seemed to sink within themselves save Katla. Then one day once she had grown tired of their gloom she raised her head.

Oh, there once was a hero named Ragnar the Red,  
Who came riding to Whiterun from ole' Rorikstead

And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade,  
As he told of bold battles and gold he had made.

But then he went quiet, did Ragnar the Red,  
When he met the shield-maiden Matilda, who said;

"Oh, you talk and you lie and you drink all our mead,  
Now I think it's high time that you lie down and bleed!"

And so then came clashing and slashing of steel,  
As the brave lass, Matilda charged in, full of zeal.

And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no more-  
When his ugly red head rolled around on the floor!

She sang the somewhat grotesque tune. She could see how her companions hid small smiles. She had managed what she wanted. They were not as gloomy anymore.

"Tell us a story, Katla," Merry said.

Katla chuckled. "Ok, if that is what you want," she said. She considered what to tell them. her voice travelled as she started telling her story. "They say that in times of need Heroes will rise. This we know is true for in our time of need as the gates Oblivion opened up to spew out its vile minions, a hero did rise. He faced the fiery minions with his bow and his sword. Some say he came from deep dungeons under the golden tower. He protected the Emperor and heard his final word. Alone he had to find the successor to the throne or their enemy would surely win. An Emperor he found in the halls of a temple and he brought him to the royal protectors," she told them. She held them captured with her tale for a few hours. "All seemed lost, but the hero and the emperor unleashed the dragon spirit of the Septim line and together Martin and the hero brought Mehrunes Dagon to his knees and forced him back to Oblivion. The emperor had sacrificed his life to save his people. And the hero walked the lands. No one now knows what happened to him."

"That wasn't really a good ending," Pippin complained.

Katla smiled at him. "It wasn't?" she asked. "I think it was. They saved the people, and the hero lived to walk his own path. Being remembered isn't the important thing. I don't do this for fame. Do you?" she asked.

Pippin gave her a sheepish grin. "No I don't," he said.

"Was that a true story?" Sam asked.

"My companion Rhavaniel was living in the Imperial City that holds the Golden Tower during that time. She might disagree with some of the things I said but not much. She herself has told me most of what I know of the event," Katla said. "I might have taken some liberties." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know it is actually possible that the Hero is still alive. He was an elf."

"Imprisoned in a human prison?" Gimli asked

"Oh, yes. We all live together," Katla said. "Sure we have our own countries, but there are always people who travel. And the Imperial city was the centre of the empire. The empire included the elven countries."

"You speak in the past tense," Boromir said.

"Yes, the Empire hasn't been whole for a long time," Katla said. "The Thalmor are trying to force their rules on everyone else. They are elves that believe they their race is the only race that matters. I have killed more than my fair share of them. They go after people who don't follow their beliefs. I believe that everyone has a right to pray to whatever god or goddess they want." She noticed the way Legolas was looking at her. "Elves on Nirn are far more prone to corruption than they are here. To be honest, the only real difference between elves and men back home is the amount of time they can live. It is not like here. There is no equivalent to Lady Galadriel. Not anymore at least."

"You hate their principles, not their race," Legolas said.

"Precisely," Katla responded. It seemed he had an easier time dealing with that.

"What about Dwarves?" Gimli asked.

Katla bit her lip. "That is a bit more complicated," she said. "We did have a race that people would call dwarves. But they were nothing like you if I am to believe the stories. The Dwarves were also called Dwemer. Mer basically means elf. They were one of the elven races. Just like Bosmer or Wood-elves, Altmer or High elves, Dunmer or Dark elves, and Orsimer or Orcs."

They all turned to look at her.

"Orcs are elves?" Merry asked.

"The ones on Nirn are," Katla said. "Trust me they are not like here. Sure they can be aggressive, but they are not as destructive as the ones you have here. They even live with the wood elves in their forest cities without harming the trees. That doesn't seem like something that could happen here."

"No," Legolas said. "It could not."

"It is a strange world you speak of," Gimli said.

"It is," Katla said. "But it is home."

Only a few more nights passed before they reached, at last, the fall of Rauros. Now they would have to decide what to do. They had one last night to sleep and think about it before it was time. But when the choice was to be made, Aragorn pushed it to Frodo. Katla shook her head. She had a bad feeling. When Frodo asked to be left alone for some time so he may decide, she followed him. She didn't do it so that he noticed, but she did not dare leave him alone. He wandered around. Slowly but surely his feet brought him further away from the others. She was glad she had followed.

After a time Boromir showed up. She kept hidden. It wasn't truly her place to interfere unless it became necessary. She was too far away to hear them since they spoke with low voices. Then Boromir started ranting about the Ring. Katla stayed away still, but then Frodo moved away from the man in fear. That's when Katla started moving. She would not allow harm to come to Frodo. As Boromir launched at Frodo, Katla moved with the speed of dragons and caught the man mid-air. She wrestled him down. She looked around. Frodo was gone.

"Let go of me," Boromir roared as he struggled against her, but Boromir had not spent the better part of his life over an anvil. Katla was stronger than him. " _ **Gol,"**_ she shouted at him hoping that the shout that had clear the stones would clear his mind too. He stopped struggling. Katla let go of him slowly. He seemed lost in his own mind. She stood up and looked around. " _ **Laas Yah Nir,"**_ she whispered. It didn't take her long to locate the Hobbit. She hurried after him quickly. She caught up with him fast enough. She didn't approach him though. This time she was close enough to him so she could hear him speak to himself as he reappeared. "I need to do this. It has to be done," he said. "At least now it is plain to me that the evil of the Ring is already at work even in the Company. The Ring must leave them before it does more harm. I will go alone. Some I cannot trust, and those I can trust are too dear to me: poor old Sam, and Merry and Pippin."

Katla had heard enough. She walked out of her hiding place. "If you are going alone then let's head down to the boats," she said.

Frodo turned around. His eyes were wide in surprise.

Katla kneeled down next to him. "I'm not going to try taking that Ring from you," she said.

"Maybe not," Frodo said, "but I can't be sure. I… I need to do this alone."

"I see," Katla said. She rose and took his hand. "Let's go back. It is the only way across. I'll help you convince the others if necessary. If this is what you think is right then let's do it your way."

Together they slipped through the forest down towards the river. No one was down there when they arrived. Katla walked over to her pack. She had a good feeling about what she was about to do. She pulled the cloak the elves had given her out of the pack. Quickly she found parchment and a quill. She wrote a message in the script of the Khajiit on it. She doubted anyone in Middle-earth could read what she had written. She walked up to Frodo with the cloak. "If you come across Ra'shall hand this to him," she said. "He cannot be tricked by the Ring, and he can help you."

Frodo nodded. "Alright," he said. He wasn't sure why she had given him the cloak, but he would bring it. If it could give him an ally someday it might be worth it.

Katla made sure Frodo had plenty of food with him. "Are you sure you don't want me to come along?" she asked him.

Frodo looked down at his backpack. "I have to do this alone," he said.

Katla took a few steps back. "I understand," she said. Her head turned. She walked over to her pack and picked it up. She fastened its straps around her. She had a feeling she might need it. "We have company," she said suddenly. "They are not friendly. I'll hold them off. Go, Frodo!" She ran into the forest leaving Frodo behind.

Black shapes moved through the forest. She sprinted to catch up with them. She had almost caught up to them as the call of a horn sounded through the forest. She turned towards the source of the sound before the horn's tune had run out. She called upon the wind to aid her and ran even faster. She reached Boromir. Her bow rose and arrows flew off the string at the retreating orcs. She did not follow them.

Instead, she kneeled down next to the bleeding human. She pulled her backpack off and grabbed the white phial. "Drink," she ordered him as she held it up to his mouth. He drank deeply for a few gulps. Katla grabbed the man and moved him so he was lying down. She looked at the arrows that stuck out of his chest. "This will hurt," she said. She didn't wait for him to react. Quickly, she grabbed the arrows and pulled them out of him. Then she tore his shirt open so she could pour the potion over the wounds. His eyes fluttered closed. "Oh, no, you don't," she said. She held her hands out over his chest. She was extremely bad at healing spells, but now she needed it to work. "Come on," she screamed. A soft golden light left her palms.

Suddenly Aragorn appeared by her side. He reached up and placed his hand over Boromir's mouth. He could see the wounds on the man's chest close slowly. "He's still alive," he whispered. Boromir stirred. His eyes opened to look up at Aragorn. "I am sorry. I have paid," he said. "They are gone, the Halflings. The Orcs took them."

"Don't speak, Boromir," Katla said. "Save your energy." She stopped channelling the spell. He had been pulled back from death's door. He would live. She was breathing heavily.

Aragorn looked at Boromir in dismay. "What do we do now?" he asked.

"What needs to be done," Katla said. "Frodo has left us. He crossed the river to the other side. He wished to go alone."

"And you let him?" Aragorn asked.

"I do not force people to bring me along," Katla said. Her gaze was harsh. Then she shook her head. "I have a feeling this is the way it needs to be," she said. "Our best bet now is to force the Dark Lord to focus on us," she said softly. "Let's make him fear us so much he cannot search for Frodo."

Aragorn sat in silence next to her when Legolas and Gimli appeared. Katla explained to them what she knew. They were not happy with her either. She knew they wouldn't be. She didn't care. She had done what she believed was right. "Will you at least aid me in bringing Boromir back to the boats. He cannot travel now. He needs rest," she said.

Aragorn nodded. He rose and together they carried Boromir. When they arrived back by the boats Katla noticed something. "Sam's pack is not here," she said. They placed Boromir down. A smile spread across her lips. "He must have gone with Frodo," she said. Then she frowned. "That means that the Orcs took Merry and Pippin captive."

"Then we must save them," Gimli said. "Say what we will about Katla leaving Frodo, but without her Boromir would not have lived. He would have fallen and we would be burying a friend here today." He looked at Katla. "I do not like that you allowed Frodo to go alone the way you did, but I cannot hate you for it.

Legolas nodded slowly. "I agree with Gimli," he said. "You followed Frodo's wishes and this is where it led us. Had you chosen to go with him then Boromir would be wandering the halls of his ancestors now."

They seemed to be in agreement.

Aragorn nodded. "Then Katla decided for us," he said. "We will not follow Frodo. His path is now his own. Instead, we will follow the orcs. We will not leave Merry and Pippin to certain torture and death." He looked at them. "We will take only what we need. We have to be swift to catch up with the orcs," he said.

"I will stay here with Boromir," Katla said. "We will follow as soon as he is well enough to travel. It might take a day or two. Leave what you don't need. We will bring as much as possible with us when we come. I can carry much more than you'd think. If there is something you want to be brought along but feel it would slow you down in the hunt then please place it aside in a pile. I will look those items over when Boromir and I pack."

It did not take long for the three hunters to pack what little they needed and since Katla could take care of what they left behind they took off as soon as they could. It left Katla sitting next to Boromir's sleeping body. She rose. She knew they couldn't bring everything that was left with them. She started sorting everything. It gave her something to do. She took one of the boats across the river and fetched the boat Frodo and Sam had taken over. It felt wrong to leave it that visible.

Boromir didn't open his eyes again until the next morning. He looked around slowly. His eyes landed on Katla where she sat. "I guess I haven't died then," he said.

"No, you are still quite alive," Katla said.

Boromir sat up slowly. "Where are the others?" he asked.

"Frodo and Sam are on their way to Mordor," Katla said. "Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are chasing after the Orcs who captured Merry and Pippin."

Boromir looked down that the sand. "It is my fault," he said.

"Not feeling possessed anymore?" Katla asked.

Boromir looked up at her. "I… I don't know," he said. "It just came over me… I … I'm not proud of it."

"Don't worry too much about it," Katla said. "And it is as much my fault as it is yours that Frodo went with only Sam for company. I allowed him to leave without me."

"Why?" Boromir asked.

"Because I believe that there are better things I can do to help him than being with him. I think we can act as a distraction enough if we're tough enough. That will force our enemy to look at us instead of search for them," Katla said.

"So you will travel with me to Minas Tirith?" Boromir asked.

"That was sort of the plan all along," Katla said. She handed him a bowl filled with rabbit stew. She had caught them fresh a few hours earlier. "Eat, you'll need your strength," she said. "We're going after Aragorn and the others as soon as you're feeling better."

Boromir nodded. He ate slowly. He had never truly trusted Katla. She was a stranger from a strange land. Yet here she was. She had saved his life. He had never before met a woman like her, and he doubted he ever would again. He figured his biggest problem with her had always been that she was a woman. Had she been a man he wouldn't have had as many problems with her. It was a foolish reason to dislike her. She was a warrior. He had seen as much himself.

He watched her as she sat down with a strange looking block of some kind of stone he guessed. She was chipping off arrowhead sized pieces with precision. Then she attached them to long straight sticks. She was making arrows. "What is that stone?" he asked.

"Stalhrim," Katla answered. "It's enchanted ice."

"From your homeworld?" Boromir asked.

Katla nodded.

"Should you really make arrows out of it then?" Boromir asked. "It might not even exist here."

"So?" Katla said. "I will use it for what we need it for. Right now surviving and taking out the Dark Lord are the two most important things. I will use everything at my disposal to do so."

Boromir was surprised by the strength of her conviction. It made him ashamed of himself. Here she was willing to do whatever she could so they would win, yet he made a mess of things. Fear. He feared too many things. He wished he could be more like her. Determined.

They rested for the rest of that day. The next day, however, they started moving. They went slowly at first. Katla did not want to overexert Boromir. They now followed cold trails. It wouldn't stop Katla though. They would find their companions.


	8. Deep in the Forest

Deep in the Forest

The crowns of leaves decorating the trees let through very little light. Not much grew beneath the branches. Slowly a figure moved around on the ground between the roots of the trees. Her violet eyes scanned the area around her. She had never felt anything quite like the air of that forest. It was old. In many ways, it reminded her of home.

Her eyes widened as she reached the edge of the forest. She had walked by the edge before but never in that direction. The forest was destroyed. It had been uprooted. "Who?" she whispered destroyed.

She walked along the treeline. Her hands clenched. They would pay.

She continued walking when suddenly she heard a strange sound. She headed towards it quickly thinking it might be whatever had harmed the trees. What she found, however, was like nothing she had ever seen before. Giant and tree-like, a being was walking between the branches. "Excuse me," she said falling back to her native tongue.

The tree-like being turned around as it heard the sound of her voice. It looked down at her. "If it isn't an elf," he said slowly. "What could you be doing here so far away from your people?"

"I was travelling," she answered. She now knew elves were native. That was good. "Would you mind telling me what you are?" she asked.

"Me, I am an Ent," he said. "Bregalad is my name."

"I am Rhavaniel," the elf introduced herself. "It is an honour to meet you, Bregalad." She walked up next to him and they spoke for quite some time. The Ent fascinated Rhavaniel. She wanted to learn as much as she could.

Over the next few weeks, she would spend a lot of time with Bregalad. She learned many things from him. The first being that he did not truly belong in Fangorn Forest as the forest they were in was called. He had lived further west, but the Orcs had cut down all his trees not long ago. This saddened Rhavaniel. She had always liked trees. They were better company than some people.

Bregalad introduced her to several other Ents. She quickly found that they were not very fast. She had a much easier time speaking to Bregalad than the others. At least he didn't take forever to answer her.

When she wasn't speaking to the Ents, she was wandering the forest. It was old and she loved it.

One evening long after she had first arrived, she was wandering around aimlessly. She wasn't sure why she hadn't left yet. Part of her guessed it was because she wanted to help the Ents avenge their forest. She was lost in thoughts when someone ran straight into her. She tumbled to the ground but was quickly back on her feet. She tilted her head to the side. The person that had just knocked her over was half her size. He didn't look to be a child though. Another one much like the first reached them not long after.

"Well, what do we have here?" Rhavaniel asked.

The two both seemed relieved and confused at the same time. She guessed their elvish wasn't too good. They looked horrible. She took her backpack off and opened it up. She had managed her food pretty well, and she had hunted and gathered as much as she could so she had a bit of a stash. "Would you like some food?" she asked. She held up a dead bird.

They seemed confused at first, but then they nodded. She chuckled and brought them along with her to one of the many small rivers that ran through the forest. They seemed excited to see the water and didn't wait long to go down closer to the stream so they could drink. She heated up a rock from the riverbed and cooked on it. She offered the food to the hungry little men.

One of them yawned. Rhavaniel smiled. She motioned for them to sleep. She would keep watch. The elves in this place must be different than the ones back home. No one back home would have been immediately calmed by the fact that she was an elf.

The little men didn't sleep for long. The sun had risen and was standing high in the sky when they woke up. They seemed excited about the light and started moving to a place where it came down through the trees. Rhavaniel followed them. She wondered who and what they were. They climbed up to the top of a rock formation. Rhavaniel noticed Fangorn himself standing there. She had met him while travelling with Bregalad. She didn't greet him though since the two short men did not seem to have noticed him as off yet.

The two of them spoke to each other for a moment and then Fangorn's deep voice could be heard. Rhavaniel moved to the side. She hid a smile as Fangorn lifted the two up. He spoke to them in their own tongue. Then he started moving. Rhavaniel jumped and climbed up on Fangorn's back. She listened to and studied the little people as they spoke to Fangorn.

She already knew that the Ents were considering going to war. But they were Ents and could not be hasty as they said it. Their neighbour Saruman was the one harming their forest so they would most likely act eventually. They had called Saruman a wizard. Rhavaniel had scoffed. She cared little for wizards. She was a mage.

She got up as the little people went to rest and left. She needed to find Bregalad. With any luck, he could help her understand the language the little ones had spoken. She found him quickly enough and she asked for his aid. They spent much of the following day going over the language as they moved towards the spot where the Ents were gathering for the Entmoot. Rhavaniel left Bregalad as they arrived. She headed back over to Fangorn and stood there next to him listening until he let the little folk down. "Come walk with me," she said.

"You speak our language now," one of them asked.

"Yes, though probably not very well," Rhavaniel said. "May I ask your names?"

"Of course," the other said. "I'm Pippin and this is Merry."

"And I am Rhavaniel," she responded.

"Katla's companion?" Merry asked recognising the name.

"You have met Katla?" Rhavaniel asked.

"Yes, we travelled with her for many miles," Pippin said.

"Then she is here. That is good to hear," Rhavaniel said slowly. "It gladdens me to hear that." She smiled down at them. "So I have never seen one of your kind before what is your people called?"

"Hobbits," Pippin said.

"Hobbits," Rhavaniel repeated. "A good name for a people. So, the Ents are speaking of war. As I understand it they have not done this for a long time. Do not fret. They may take some time deciding what to do, but forests have been greatly damaged. They will decide to attack in the end."

"You truly believe so," Merry said.

"Yes," Rhavaniel said. "And we will go with them, will we not?"

"Oh, yes indeed," Pippin said.

Sometime later Fangorn returned to them. He explained to them that there was still much to say and explain to his fellow Ents. he would, however, give them a companion to stay with, in the meantime. An Ent so hasty that he had already decided. Rhavaniel smiled. She greeted Bregalad as he joined them. They walked off together. After that Rhavaniel spent most of her time with the Hobbits. She would still take walks alone at times, but most of the time she spent with the little guys. They told her about their company and their travels so far. She was mostly interested in how Katla was doing. the other people they spoke of didn't really matter to her. Eventually, Merry and Pippin spoke of Boromir and their kidnapping. They got really hung up on their friend's injuries.

Rhavaniel smiled at them. "Do not underestimate Katla. If she reached him fast enough, she may have saved his life," she said. She opened her backpack that stood next to her and pulled out a phial. "She had one of these did she not."

"Yes," Pippin said.

"Then he may have survived," Rhavaniel said. "I made this potion. It can heal even the most grievous wounds. As long as he was not dead already, he could have made it." She rose slowly as a great Hoorrumn was heard through the forest. She smiled. "The Ents are marching," she said. She helped the Hobbits to their feet. "Clear your minds and brace yourselves," she said. "We are going to war." Bregalad lifted the Hobbits up and Rhavaniel leapt up on his back.

They joined up with the other Ents. They were chanting the fall of Isengard. No one in their right mind could keep from shivering at their words. Rhavaniel was smirking bloodthirstily. These Orcs, if that's what they were, would regret harming the forest. As they reached Fangorn, he took the Hobbits back, but Rhavaniel stayed with Bregalad. "Let's bring them ice and lightning Bregalad," she said. "And do not fear the wizard's power no matter what he may try to do. I will fight him with the very air if need be."

"Well, said young elf," Bregalad said.

They marched with the trees for many leagues. Each step took them closer and closer to their destination. They did halt to drink at times and rest some, but as soon as the Ents were rested they were off again.

The walls of Isengard were thick, but trees are strong and eventually, all stone had to give way to the roots of trees. They walked inside.

"Tree killer," Bregalad roared as he set his eyes upon a white-robed old man. He chased after the man but did not manage to catch him before he made it into his tower.

"Stop Bregalad," Rhavaniel's clear voice rang out. She looked about her. "Fire," she roared. Bregalad stopped and seemed to think for just a moment as he processed what she had said. Then he roared warning his people. Machines had been set to work and fire spewed up around them. Rhavaniel closed her eyes. She had never tried protecting so many from burning flames before. The Ents were enraged. "Keep your cool," she ordered Bregalad.

It seemed her clear voice broke through the rage he felt. "If we lose our heads, we lose our lives," Rhavaniel said. He walked back several steps. His people were angrily throwing rocks about them crushing buildings and destroying chasms. "Keep your calm. I need to focus if I am going to help here," Rhavaniel said.

Then Fangorn called them back. Rhavaniel breathed out in relief. She wasn't sure she could have held Bregalad back for much longer. She heard a shrill laugh from behind her. She turned around where she sat and sent a bolt of lightning towards the tower. The laughter stopped abruptly.

It seemed to her like Fangorn told his people of a plan once they had returned to him. Bregalad walked away with many other Ents and Rhavaniel stayed with him. She had closed her eyes and was slowly working her magic. She needed some time if she was to make a difference. For a night and a day, the Ents around her worked on breaking rock around a dam.

"You may want to move to one of the others," Bregalad said suddenly. He was standing right in the path of the water that would come flowing.

"No, this is where I want to be," Rhavaniel. "Don't worry I will not be washed away." She closed her eyes again and as the water broke she sent her gathered power into it. Lightning-blue the water spread down the hill. She hoped the Hobbits were not in the water. It was deadly now.

Further down the hill on the wall surrounding Isengard, Merry looked up as he heard the sound of rushing water. "Pippin, look," he said. He pointed towards one of the heavy falls of water. It sparkled and crackled blue. It was the only water they could see coming from where they stood. It was both beautiful and terrifying to see.

As time went on the light in the water died down.

Rhavaniel was sitting, breathing heavily, upon Bregalad's shoulder. "How are you doing young elf?" the Ent asked

"Fine," Rhavaniel said. "I just need some food and rest. It took a lot out of me to do that. Why don't we go find the Hobbits? I can stay with them."

"Just you hang on," Bregalad said. "I'll take you to them." He walked with long strides down the mountain and over the flat land of Isengard. He found the Hobbits by the wall.

Rhavaniel lay to rest not far away from them and slept deep and long. It was past noon the following day when she finally woke up. The Hobbits were sitting not too far away from her smoking.

"Good morning my lady," Merry said as he noticed she was awake. "Or rather, afternoon. You have slept long. You better rouse yourself we will have company soon."

Rhavaniel sat up. "I see," she said. She rose and stretched. Her eyes scanned the area around them. She hoped Katla would be with whoever was coming.


	9. King of the Mark

King of the Mark

Katla and Boromir were running. They had been running for quite some time. They knew they would never be able to catch up with Aragorn and the others. Their three companions had too much of a head start so Boromir had suggested heading to Edoras, the capital of Rohan, instead. Since Katla didn't have a better idea, she'd agreed to it.

Boromir was deep in thought as he followed Katla. He was slowly coming to terms with the fact that she truly was a warrior in her own right. "What were you doing before you ended up in Moria?" he asked after a while. She had spoken of her homeland, but she hadn't mentioned her own role in it.

Katla looked back over her shoulder. "We were trying to fight Miraak. He was trying to enslave the people who lived on an Island just off the coast of Skyrim where I lived," she said. "He was a bit tricky to deal with. Rhavaniel and Ra'shall were trying to take care of him." She explained what had happened and why she had not personally been fighting.

"So Daedric Princes are some kind of demi-gods?" Boromir asked.

Katla tilted her head from side to side thinking about it. "Not quite," she said. "Technically they are beings from another world. If we find Rhavaniel you can ask her how it really works. She knows more about them than I do."

"Did they manage to defeat him?" Boromir asked.

"I don't know," Katla answered.

"But you believe they are still alive?"

"I do, it takes more to kill them than him," Katla said. "I'm confident that they are still alive. They may not be here, but I'm certain they are alive."

"Why were you the ones fighting in the first place?" Boromir asked. "Weren't there people on the island who could have done it themselves?"

"Probably not," Katla said. "Rhavaniel went there because Miraak sent people out to kill me. That's why we were fighting. Miraak saw me as a threat." She sighed. "We joined her when she sent for us. She needed our help." She smiled at him. "Rhavaniel is a Mage. The Archmage in fact. She runs one of the seats of learning for magic users in Tamriel. She is more powerful than most would even be capable of comprehending."

"She would help with the war?" Boromir asked.

"If we can find her," Katla said. "Both Ra'shall and Rhavaniel will join and aid me. I want to help you so they would too."

"You're the leader?" Boromir asked.

"Yes and no," Katla said. "We all work together. I don't tell them what to do, but I have a better moral compass than they do so they generally will follow my lead when it comes to certain decisions. You see, Rhavaniel doesn't care much about others, and Ra'shall is a thief and a murderer."

Boromir gave her a strange look. "But you spend time with him?" he asked. He couldn't say much about the elf since being selfish was a common enough thing, and he had suffered from that himself quite a lot. A thief and murderer wasn't what he'd call a reliable friend, however.

"I have known Ra'shall for almost ten years," Katla said. "He has his flaws, but he isn't a bad person. We don't really live in the same kind of environment you do. Sure there are a lot of things going on here now with orcs attacking an so on, but normally you wouldn't have this many problems, right? Tamriel is a bit wilder than that. You have to pick your friends carefully and hope they don't betray you. Sure you can join a group of people with high morals. That doesn't mean you won't find corruption though. I know I can trust Ra'shall."

Boromir nodded slowly. Her conviction was clear. For now, he would trust her judgment. He didn't have any reason to doubt her. Though he would be keeping an eye on this Ra'shall character if he ever appeared in Gondor. They did not need someone like him in any city.

It was early a few mornings later when Katla stopped Boromir. She turned around at the sound of horses approaching them. "I believe that we will have some company when we enter Edoras," Katla said. "That looks like Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli… and Gandalf I believe."

"He is alive?" Boromir exclaimed surprised.

"It would seem that way," Katla said. "Maybe he's a little harder to kill than we thought." She waved to them, and the riders turned their way. "Greetings friends," she said once the riders reached them. "I'm glad to see you once more." She looked more closely at them. "Did you not find the Hobbits?" she asked.

"Not as such," Aragorn said. "Gandalf, however, promises that they are safe. The orcs are dead. Rohirrim killed them."

"And you are still with us," Katla said speaking to Gandalf. "I'm glad to see that. It would seem wizards are maybe not all that easy to kill."

Gandalf bowed his head. "I'm glad you decided to continue travelling with the company," he said. "We do not have time for further pleasantries, however. There is danger looming on the horizon and it aims at destroying Rohan and its people."

"We should go on then," Katla said.

"Yes," Gandalf said. "We need to warn the Lord of these lands. Hopefully, he will listen to me."

"The Rohirrim are a proud people," Boromir told Katla as they continued forward. "I would suggest that you cover your face for now. They won't disturb a warrior too much, but a woman in armour might upset them."

Katla nodded in understanding before reaching back and grabbing her helmet. She put it on so no one else would know she was a woman. As they came closer to the city they passed sixteen grave mounds. Seven on the left and nine on the right. She guessed it marked a shift in the rule of the land. The breaking of a straight line. She had seen similar things before. On the graves grew a small white flower. Evermind or Simbelmynë Gandalf called them.

Not long after that, they reached the gates. By the gates sat several men dressed in shining chainmail. They moved swiftly as the company approached and barred their path with long spears. Katla raised an eyebrow. She had travelled many places, but it wasn't often she was met with hostility the first thing that happened. Not even Orsimer treated her that way.

One man spoke to them. He spoke in a melodic tongue that Katla did not understand. Gandalf did not seem to have any problems understanding them, however. He spoke to them at length his tone harsh at times. Aragorn and Boromir also spoke up and the man walked back into the city. Boromir informed Katla that the man had gone to ask the King if he could let them enter. "He wasn't too willing until I let him know who I was. Rohan is our ally. I am the eldest son of the leader of Gondor. They don't really want to deny me entry," he said.

The guard eventually returned and let them in. They walked behind him through the city up toward the golden hall of Meduseld. People watched them as they passed. Katla could see the fear in their eyes. They reached the stairs leading up to the great hall and their guide left them. They continued up the stairs. At the top, they were greeted by the guards that stood there. One walked forward and he spoke finally in the Common Tongue. "I am the Doorward of Théoden," he said. "Háma is my name. Here I must ask you to lay aside your weapons before you enter."

Legolas handed his bow and quiver over without any problems. He did, however, tell the man that took them from him that the bow was a gift from the Lady of the Woods which had the man placing the bow and quiver down against the wall quickly as if they had burnt him. Katla didn't give anyone her weapons instead she placed her backpack with her weapons down against the wall. Boromir had followed her lead and placed his sword and shield down next to her pack.

Katla noticed that Aragorn hesitated. She walked up to him. "Place it aside," she said in elvish. "I understand that the blade means a lot to you, but we have to enter this hall. Refusing to place it aside won't help us at all. Place it by my bag. It will be safe there."

Aragorn sighed. She was right. He did not want to place Andúril down since it was the sword that had vanquished Sauron, the Dark Lord, last time he had reigned. He did, however, realise that it wasn't wise to hold them up because of him. He walked forward and placed his sword down next to Katla's bag. Then Gimli placed his axe down as well, and Gandalf handed them his sword.

The guards asked for Gandalf's staff as well, but the old man managed to talk them out of it.

Katla watched them wondering if a wizard's staff was important to them. Staffs were only tools where she was from after all.

They entered together, though, Katla kept to the shadows as much as she could. She hoped no one would ask her to remove her helmet. She didn't know how these grim looking men would react to her. She listened with one ear as Aragorn spoke of a king of old, but she didn't really care. In a throne at the end of the hall, that now reminded Katla much of Dragonsreach in Whiterun, sat an old man. His white beard and hair had grown so long it was a miracle he could see. Katla was sure he had been a mighty warrior in his day, but age had clearly caught up with him.

At first, there was silence. The old man did not move as they reached him. Then Gandalf moved forward. "Hail, Théoden son of Thengel! I have returned," he said. "For behold, the storm comes, and now all friends should gather together, or they shall be destroyed one by one."

The King's response was less than friendly, and Katla had to take Boromir's arm to stop him from rushing forward. "Let Gandalf deal with this for now," she whispered. "We'll step in if it goes out of hand."

Boromir nodded his head slowly. "Something is wrong," he whispered back.

"There is some kind of spell at work," Katla said. She wasn't sure it was magic. Boromir was right, though, something was wrong. Her eyes landed on a skinny man that sat by the king's feet. He felt wrong to her. The man rose and spoke against Gandalf. He accused the wizard of being an ill omen and a bringer of bad times.

Gandalf responded in a much calmer tone. He pointed out that there were many ways in which one could come with bad times. One could be the bringer of them or one could come when they arrived to stop them.

"That is true," the slimy man said. "But there is a third kind: pickers of bones, meddlers in other men's sorrows, carrion fowl that grow fat on war. What aid have you ever brought, Stormcrow?" He then spoke of the horse that Gandalf had ridden to the city.

Katla yawned. Sure the horse was magnificent, but it was just a horse. Did they have to be so upset over a horse? She didn't understand them. What she did understand was that the slimy man before them was a bootlicker. She despised bootlickers.

"Do you bring men?" the man asked Gandalf. "Do you bring horses, swords, spears? That I call aid."

Katla was tired of this man. She moved forward. "What need do you have of swords or spears?" she asked as she removed her helmet. "You have no men who can use them. They have all been turned into useless knaves." She turned to the King. "Show me that the men of Rohan can still stand upon their own two feet my Lord. Don't listen to this serpent. All he does is bring you bad advice."

At first, Gandalf had wanted to stop her, but he noticed the power that lay in her words. How come he had not noticed before? She was not trying to control, though. Instead, she was like a breath of fresh air. She walked forward and kneeled down by the King's side. "We cannot help your people unless you are willing to fight for them, my Lord. I could make a hundred swords and a hundred spears and hundreds upon hundreds of arrows, but that will not save your people unless you can stand strong and lead them," she told him.

Behind her, Gandalf cast his grey cloak aside to show that he was dressed in the purest white. He offered his aid once more. "Not all is dark," he said as Katla rose. "Take courage, Lord of the Mark; for better help, you will not find. I have no counsel to give to those that despair. Yet, counsel, I could give you, but my words are not for all ears. Will you hear them?"

Théoden rose slowly and Katla lent him an arm. She wasn't the only one though. Another woman came forward. She had a worried look in her eyes. They helped him follow Gandalf back to the doors so he could step outside. Katla looked up at the sky. It was heavy with clouds. " _ **Lok Vah Koor,"**_ she said softly, and the clouds above slowly cleared to reveal the sun. The light spread out over the land showing the King the truth. Villages had been raided. Grassland had been burned. Gandalf asked the ladies to return to the hall. He wanted to speak to the King alone.

Katla walked back into the hall and found Boromir. "Hopefully that will work out," she said as she reached him.

He gave her an amused look. "I thought we were supposed to stay back," he said.

"He was starting to annoy me," Katla said as she cast an eye at the slimy man.

"Grima Wormtongue," Boromir said. "He worries me. I... " He shook his head. There was a look in Grima's eyes that reminded him of his father. He wasn't willing to let anyone know that though. His eyes fell upon lady Éowyn. Her golden hair fell around her hunted face. He had found her beautiful once. She was still a very pretty woman, but she seemed to have grown cold and distant. Then Éowyn turned their way and her eyes landed on Katla. The frosty grey orbs widened as she realised the person beside him was a woman. If Boromir remembered correctly, Éowyn had always wanted to be a warrior. He wondered how she was going to react to Katla. "Lady Éowyn," he said with a small bow.

"Boromir," Éowyn said curtseying. "Who is your friend?" she asked.

Boromir shifted. "This is Lady Katla," he said introducing the tall brunette. "Katla this is Lady Éowyn the sister-daughter of King Théoden."

"Your Highness," Katla said with a bow.

"You travel together?" Éowyn asked.

"Yes," Boromir answered. "Katla joined us not long before we entered the enchanted woods of Lothlórien. She has been of great help to the company. I would not be here today if she had not saved me." He wasn't entirely certain what she would want from Katla.

"You are a warrior?" Éowyn asked the brunette.

"I am, yes," Katla said.

"That is unusual," Éowyn said. "Women are seldom allowed to fight."

"Not where I am from," Katla said. "Woman, man, it doesn't matter there. All you need is skill enough to survive." She noticed how Boromir flinching slightly at her words. She figured that he didn't think it was a good idea to encourage the lady's ideas of fighting.

"I wish it was that simple here," Éowyn said. "But…" She was cut off as Háma, the guard outside the hall, walked by a sword in his hands and Grima followed.

"Maybe we should see what is going on," Katla said.

"Sounds like a good idea," Boromir said. Éowyn followed the other two outside still concerned for her uncle.

King Théoden was standing tall now. Several years seemed to have fallen off his shoulders. He invited the company to enjoy a quick meal with him. They would be leaving as soon as possible. They were going to war.

Grima had tried to convince the King that he shouldn't go, but Théoden's mind was set. Then Grima tried to get the King to give him the control of the capital. Théoden didn't let him get his way, however. Instead, he told the man that he had two choices: either he could ride with Théoden or he could leave. He chose to leave proving that he was a traitor. The king sent a man after him to make sure no one was harmed. He had already ordered for his men to be rousted. He was riding out that day.

Katla sat down with Boromir who had quickly shooed away the men who tried to get her to leave. Katla had barely noticed what they tried to do and Boromir prefered it that way. They ate quickly but everyone ate their fill before the company were taken to the king's armoury.

"I take it you don't want anything," Boromir said to Katla as he looked over the armour and weapons. He wasn't going to take another sword, but he was considering another shield. He could use a bigger one if they were going to fight on foot.

"That's a good one," Katla commented once he had picked a shield. She reached out and touched the shield. It was sturdy and would protect him well.

"You can't seriously be saying that a woman is going to join us in battle," a soldier said hauntingly.

Katla turned to him. "I'll be fighting," she said simply. She didn't care enough say anything else to him. She gave Boromir a look and they headed out of the armoury. They walked outside to join the others.

Théoden was troubled. He needed to leave someone in charge of his lands as he rode out with the army. It was Háma who came with the final suggestion. He suggested that Éowyn should be the one to lead the people while they were gone as she was of the royal house.

It was clear to Katla from the King's actions that he did not really expect Éowyn to fight, but she was going to have to do it if they failed. Katla headed out of the city with the others. They gave her a horse. She sighed. She knew perfectly well how to ride, but she didn't really like it. It was harder to get into battle from horseback. Her sword was way too big to use while mounted. She rode up next to Boromir. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"Let's just stay back," Boromir said. He was interested in talking to her and didn't feel like being interrupted. They hadn't gotten far before he started asking her about her past once more. She had no problems answering and was soon telling him the story of the Dragonborn.

"Wait," Boromir said after a while. He had a pained expression on his face. "You can breathe dragon fire?"

"Yeah," Katla said.

Boromir sighed. She could possibly have destroyed the ring. They had said that it was possible a dragon could do it back at the council that had picked the members of the company. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell her though. He wasn't sure how she would react. As he continued listening to her something occurred to him. "Why didn't you just take power?" he asked. She obviously could have. She was powerful even if only half the things she had told him were true.

"I don't want that kind of power. I could technically have become Empress of the Tamriel Empire since I am the only living Dragonborn and the throne can only be held by someone who has dragon blood in their veins. I don't want that kind of power though. I like being free to do whatever I want to do."

Boromir fell quiet for a while, thinking her words over. She truly had a different way of looking at things. He felt like he had been lacking in his life. What had he missed because he was the son of a leader? Then again she had lived in a place both similar and different from Middle-earth. One thing he did know, though. He knew Katla would use her powers in battle if she now had them. Then again maybe she already had. Back in Moria a cave troll had turned around in fear and trampled his allies. Could she have done that? No one else had. He guessed he would have to wait and see.

"You wouldn't happen to know where we're going?" Katla asked after a while.

"As far as I know we're marching on Isengard," Boromir said.

"I see," Katla said.

Slowly a heaviness descended on the army. Katla noticed it affecting the men around her. She chose to do nothing yet though. She didn't want to act prematurely.

The next day rose darker than the last. No one spoke much. The evening came with dark clouds. One of the king's men appeared and warned them. The Isen was dangerous. An army was coming. Katla rode up next to Gandalf. She used her Aura Whisper shout to see what was coming. "That is a lot of enemies," she said.

"Yes," Gandalf said. He turned to the king and implored him to ride to Helm's Deep as fast as he could. He was leaving them. He had his own mission to take care of. He did not dally. Instead, he took off swiftly after telling them to expect him by Helm's Gate.

Katla turned her horse. "I believe we should do as he said. With walls between us and them, we can still defeat them," she said. She looked at the men and raised her voice. "Men of the Mark," she called. "Do not let despair take your hearts. Let's make haste to Helm's Deep. We can do this." She did not remove the heaviness they had been feeling the past two days, but she lifted it a little. They rode fast after that. Darkness was falling as they reached the big fortress. It was part of the mountain with thick walls in half circles. They passed through a heavy wooden gate on their way in. The men of the mark had fought a few enemies on their way, but Katla had not joined them since that would have slowed her down. She got off the horse and headed straight to the outer wall. She looked out over the vale and dikes before the walls. An army was gathering out there. It didn't take long for Gimli and Legolas to join her. The Dwarf was happy they were standing on solid stone. Though, Legolas didn't seem too comfortable about it.

Katla shook her head. "I'm getting some sleep. It isn't worth being tired when they decide to attack. We'll need our strength," she said before leaving the wall. She headed to the keep and just lay down to rest. She didn't need that much sleep, but she was not fighting until she had gotten a bit of rest.

She woke as the horde outside the walls started moving towards them. She didn't head straight for the wall though. Instead, she headed towards what served as the armoury in the Hornburg which made up the main building of the Deep. She helped the young men that had gathered there dress in armour. Then she looked at them. "Who among you can fire a bow?" she asked. Most of the younglings just looked at her uncomfortably. She shook her head. "It isn't all that complicated," she said. She fixed up bows for them. They weren't perfect. She didn't have time for that. Then she showed them how to do it and had them practice for a bit. "Don't worry if your aim is a little off. There are plenty of targets out there you'll hit something," she told them. She had already decided to do her best in keeping them alive through the battle. They were the future.

Once she felt they were ready she led them out on the wall. The youngest boys were tasked with handing the older boys arrows since that would let them shoot faster. Katla, for once, was only carrying what she needed on her body. The white phial hung by her belt. Her quiver was on her hip, and her sword was secured on her back.

The enemy army spread out before the walls of Helm's Deep like a sea of black beetles. Katla wasn't going to use her dragon bone arrows unless she really needed to. It would be too hard for her to find them again. She placed an arrow on her string and aimed. "Aim," she told the boys. "And fire," she said as she fired. One by one, orcs and men fell before their arrows. Katla had spent her time as the boy's practised making more arrows for them. There hadn't been much to work with, but she had made due with what she had. "Run to the blond elf with these arrows," she told one of the boys as she pointed him in the right direction. "Then come straight back here." She handed him a quiver. "Get closer to the wall!" she screamed as big stones started raining from the sky. She didn't hide though. She continued firing arrows even as rocks rained down all around her.

"Lady Katla!" one of the boy's screamed suddenly.

Katla lifted her gaze and turned her head following the direction the boy was pointing. The kid she had sent off earlier was on his way back. His body was dark from the shadow of a big boulder. " _ **Wuld Nah Kest,"**_ she shouted throwing herself forward. Then she turned towards the rock. " _ **Fus Ro Dah,"**_ she shouted throwing the rock back through the air. She didn't stop though. Quickly, she made it back to the other boys just as several orcs made their way up the walls. She drew her massive sword and cut them down. She could feel how the men around them were tiring. They were losing hope. She took a deep breath. " _ **Mid Vur Shaan,"**_ she shouted inspiring the men around her. Bent backs straightened and tired eyes became more alert. It wouldn't hold forever, but it would keep them fighting. As the young ones started losing their energy again, she sent them back to the hold. She didn't want them harmed. She made her way to Aragorn and Éomer. An explosion was heard behind her. She turned and pulled her sword. Aragorn ran up behind her following her as they headed to where the wall had broken. Thankfully the Deep was more than one wall. They did their best to bring people back while fighting the orcs off. "Get everyone behind cover!" Katla shouted to Aragorn. "They aren't going to want to be out here in a moment. Make ready for an assault, but do not venture out until Legolas tells you to." She defended him as she made his way back to the Hornburg.

The last thing Aragorn heard was a chant of clear words in a language he did not understand.

"She is bringing down the fury of the skies on them," Legolas breathed before deafening clashes of thunder rang through the Deep. They made their way back to the hall where Théoden stayed.

"What is going on?" one of the men asked.

"It's Katla," Aragorn said. "I don't know how she is doing it, but she is bringing down bolts of lightning on the army out there. She told us to stay inside for now."

"If she has called lightning it would probably hurt us too," Boromir said. "That is why she wants us to stay inside. I suggest we listen to her."

"You know more about this than we do," Aragorn said. "You have spoken to her more."

"She has powers far beyond a normal man. If she is truly bringing down that lightning. Then…" Boromir took a deep breath. "She was telling the truth." He met Aragorn's eyes. "She carries the blood of dragons on her veins. Apparently in Skyrim than means she has a lot of power. I don't fully understand it. She has only told me about some of it, but… I believe that she might have been capable of changing things if we had trusted her more. She told me she can breathe a fiery breath equal to that of the strongest dragons in Skyrim."

Aragorn just stared at him at first. Then he swore. He had come to the same conclusion Boromir had. If she could do that, it was possible she could have melted the Ring and saved them all the worry. But she hadn't known.

Outside thunder clashed and lightning struck for a long while.

Then everything went quiet before the great horn of the Hornburg sounded out over the field. In its wake came the Rohirrim on their horses trampling the shocked orcs as they rode out to the dikes. The orcs fled before them towards a forest that seemed to have sprung up overnight. The orcs went into to that forest never to be seen again.

In the light of the sun appeared the white wizard and with him were the men of Erkenbrand. They rolled down like a wave over the remaining orcs and men. The men threw down their weapons in hopes that they would be spared, but the orcs ran.

Back at the Deep Gimli came walking out from the caverns with Éomer by his side. His keen eyes scanned the broken stone before him. Then they widened. He hurried forward, concern furrowing his brow.

"Don't worry master dwarf," Katla said. She looked up at him and took her helmet off. "I'm not injured just exhausted." She rose slowly. "You're heading out to join with the rest?" It sounds like we won."

"Yes," Gimli said. His head was bandaged but it didn't look too bad.

Katla turned to Éomer. "Where are your injured?" she asked. "I can aid them some."

Éomer gave her a surprised look before telling her where she needed to go. They were about to split up when a young man came running down towards them. "Lady Katla," the boy shouted.

"Hello young man," Katla said. "Are all of you okay?"

The boy nodded. "We're fine," he said. Then his eyes moved over Katla's companions. "My Lord Éomer," he said nervously while bowing.

"Calm young man," Éomer said. "I saw you and your friends out there. You did a good job." He looked up at Katla. "Their mothers will thank you for looking after them," he said.

"And their fathers will be proud," Katla said. "I'll see you in a bit. I want to make sure most of your injured survive this." She looked down at the boy next to her. "Come with me," she said. They headed in towards the caves while Gimli and Éomer headed out to join the King.

"What is your name young man?" Katla asked the boy next to her.

"Skard, Lady Katla," the boy said.

"Skard," Katla said. "It is a good name." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did well, Skard," she said. "Don't let it get to your head but know that you could become very skilled with the bow."

"Thank you lady Katla," Skald said. The smile that had appeared on his face fell as they entered the room where the injured were kept. There were cut off limbs and deep wounds. The smell of blood was everywhere. He followed Katla as she moved from soldier to soldier. She offered a drink from the glistening white phial she had kept by her belt during the battle. She only gave those with grievous injuries that could make it a drink. Afterwards, she sat down with Skald and explained why she had only given the potion to some and not to others.

"You can't save everyone," she said. "Some of those men will die no matter what I do. I don't want to waste this potion on them when I could give it to someone it would save instead. It is a tough decision to make, but someone has to make it."

Skald nodded slowly. He had thought war was kind of cool before. Seeing all the injured made it less cool. Katla dropped him back off with the other young men who had helped in the battle before she left to see the King and the others. She met Boromir halfway.

"We're going to Isengard," he told her. "They said we should get some rest before we go."

"Sounds like a good idea," Katla said. She looked back at the makeshift infirmary. She has seen someone that did not belong in Middle-earth in there. He was dead. Thankfully. "I just need to deal with something," she told Boromir.

"What?" Boromir asked.

"Miraak's body is here. I want to make sure he has no way of getting back," Katla said. She headed back to the cave with Boromir following closely behind her. His eyes widened as he saw the masked body she had talked about. He saw her pick up a greenish sword from beside the body. She was very gentle with the blade as she fastened it to her belt. He wondered what that was about.

Katla lifted the body up and walked out of the cave.

"What are you planning on doing?" Boromir asked.

"Burn him," Katla said. "I just need a place where nothing can catch on fire or be destroyed." She found an out of the way corner and placed the body down. She knew that masks like the one Miraak wore held power, but she didn't want it to end up possessing someone so she would burn that too. She was already exhausted, but this needed to be done. Fire spread from her as she spoke the words. The body burned to the bone quickly. The metal of the mask melted out on the stone. The magic of it faded.

Katla sighed. "Let's get some rest now," she said.

The two of them found a quiet spot and settled down for some well-needed rest. Neither knew what awaited them in Isengard.


	10. The Palantír

The Palantír

After some rest, the King's party saddled up for their trip to Isengard. They were headed there to confront Saruman.

Katla looked around at the area before the Hornburg. The Men of the Mark had put the hillmen that had surrendered to work with clearing out the bodies of the fallen. Two great mounds were raised for the men of the mark. She had learned when they woke that Háma the head of the King's guard had been one of the fallen. He had been a good man. He was laid to rest in a lone grave closer to the wall in honour of his deeds.

The party rode up to the forest that had suddenly appeared on the fields near the Deep. Neither horse nor rider wanted to enter underneath the branches. Katla gave a small smile. "It's alive," she said softly. "Do not worry though. The trees won't hurt us as long as we stay on the path." She took a firm hold of the reigns of her horse and led him in under the trees.

Boromir rode up next to her. He didn't say anything. He had seen her fighting on that wall. She had really given her all. Even though she didn't know anyone there. This wasn't even her homeworld. "Would you go back to Skyrim if you could?" he asked after a long time of silence.

"Now?" Katla asked.

"I guess," Boromir answered.

"Probably not," Katla said. "I've decided to help with defeating the Dark Lord. I'm not leaving until we're done."

"And after?" Boromir asked.

"I don't know," Katla said. "I'll get the option if Rhavaniel is here. She'll find some way of getting us back again. But I don't know if I want to go back."

Boromir fell silent once more. He wasn't sure why he cared really. If she wanted to go back, that was up to her, right? Then why had he asked to begin with? He sighed. Right now he just wanted to make sure his people were safe. He'd figure the rest out after that.

Behind them, Gimli told Legolas of the great wonder of the caves of Helm's Deep. He described them with passion.

"It sounds lovely," Katla said as she turned in her saddle. "I would love to see it myself."

"Then we shall go there one day," Gimli said.

"You don't seem concerned by the trees here," Legolas commented to her.

"No," Katla said. "They aren't here to hurt us. I have seen living trees before in elven lands. As long as you leave them alone, they won't bother you." She looked around. "If we find Rhavaniel then she, and I will probably travel through many forests together."

"I would be glad to see you in Mirkwood," Legolas said.

"Hopefully we'll get the chance to go there," Katla said. She shifted and the sword she had picked up earlier that day caught in the light and glistened.

"What is that made out of?" Legolas asked.

"Malachite," Katla said. "Though they are called glass weapons because of the treatment."

"That reminds me," Gimli said. "I have been meaning to ask you what your weapons are made out of." His brow furrowed as he studied her blade.

"Ebony," Katla said. "It's petrified wood. It is really finicky to treat but it is far stronger than iron or even steel."

"I've never heard of weapons made from either malachite or ebony before," Gimli said. "Malachite is used as a lesser gem."

"There might be more malachite in Tamriel than here," Katla said. "Ebony, on the other hand, can be difficult to spot so it might exist. It is hard but shatters easily unless you treat it right."

"You could be right about that," Gimli said. "Our smiths probably wouldn't be too keen on learning from a human, to begin with, but I think they could benefit from it in the long run. It could also help with human and dwarf relations."

"I'll see what I can do about that," Katla said. Se raised an eyebrow as eyes appeared among the trees. "Everybody calm," she said softly. Then she reached out and grabbed Legolas' hand just as Gandalf told the elf to stay. He had noticed that Legolas had wanted to travel into the woods as well. He reluctantly listened to Gandalf. The old man told them of Ents the herders of the forest.

Katla smiled. It was another new being. She watched the herders as they walked by. They did remind her of spriggans in a way. Though, spriggans tended to be more aggressive.

The sun had already set beyond the horizon when they exited the forest. The land that stretched out before them was dreary. Many dead bodies lay spread about. They had been picked on by the birds and eaten by wolves. As they came closer, they could see it was not the bodies of men but the bodies of orcs. The men had all been buried in mounds lined up neatly with spears marking them.

They only rode on for a short while after that before stopping for the evening. They could see steam rising from Isengard. Many of the Rohirrim thought that Saruman was up to something, but Katla was fairly certain that the trees had attacked him before he had had the chance. She could see places where trees had been uprooted from where she stood. They must have gotten angry enough at the orcs to do something about it.

That night's rest was uneasy, and they rose early. They mounted up and kept on riding. They soon entered the living quarters that lay around Isengard. Roofs were caved in and walls destroyed. Someone or something had destroyed everything in their path as they moved through.

A smile spread across Katla's lips suddenly. By a broken archway lay Merry and Pippin. They had platters, bottles and bowls spread out around them. Then she caught a glimpse of red. She moved off the horse. "Rhavaniel," she called. She barely paid any attention to the Rohirrim who had frozen in surprise at the sight of the hobbits. She was wearing a full-blown smile now as a tall slender elf stepped forward so they could see her. Her hair shone crimson red. Katla made her way up to the elf and hugged her. The two of them sat down together already speaking quietly in a language no one else there understood.

While they were catching up, the hobbits welcomed the humans to Isengard and let them know that Treebeard was waiting further down the road with a feast laid out for them. Aragorn and the other friends of the hobbits chose not to continue with the Rohirrim. They chose to stay with the hobbits.

"It's good to see you alive, Boromir," Merry said when he saw the tall man from Gondor.

"You'll have to thank Katla for that," Boromir said. He looked over at the tall brunette. Violet eyes met his. He had never seen an elf with that dark skin before. She said something to Katla and the Nord turned. She met his eyes and smiled before turning back to Rhavaniel.

Behind Katla, the hobbits were telling their friends what had happened to them. Eventually, as they were running out of story to tell, Katla and Rhavaniel joined them.

"Everyone this is Rhavaniel," Katla introduced her friend. She introduced the others to Rhavaniel in turn.

The elf nodded slowly. "It is good to meet you all," she said. "These guys," she motioned to the hobbits with a smile, "have told me a lot of good things about you."

"We have heard a lot about you as well," Boromir said. "You're a Mage?" he was actually interested. Wizards seemed to be old men who knew a lot. As he understood it, Rhavaniel could actually do magic... visible magic that could be directly useful.

"I am yes," Rhavaniel said. She tilted her head to the side. "Would you like a demonstration?" she asked.

Boromir hadn't expected her to be so direct. He didn't know what to answer.

"Go ahead," Katla said. "It will keep any of them from doubting you later."

Rhavaniel chuckled as she stood up. "Course Katla dear," she said. She raised a hand. Slowly the air around her fingers became frosty white. A frozen spear appeared in her hand slowly. It glimmered icy blue in the pale sunlight. "I work the magic faster when I need to fight, but that takes more energy since I have to create the ice instead of generating it from the moisture in the air," she said. "It will freeze whatever it hits when I throw it, and I can guide it with magic while it is in the air. Though, Katla tends to throw them when they need to go far since that means I have to use less power." The ice spear melted as a flame started burning in the palm of her hand. She put that out and looked out over the grey soup of Isengard. "How about we move around some," she said.

"Sounds like a good idea," Katla said.

"Let me make this a little easier for you," Rhavaniel said. She glowed for a moment then the light moved to the soles of their boots. "You can walk on the water now," she informed them. Katla moved out just to prove her friend was telling the truth.

"That is something new," Gimli said. He looked at Katla uncomfortably. He preferred keeping his feet on the ground.

"There is Gandalf, and Théoden and his men," Legolas said as he pointed. "Let's go and meet them." He headed out straight over the water. He found that the spell Rhavaniel had cast was very practical. They met with Gandalf who informed them that he had one last thing he needed to do. He would pay Saruman a visit. He warned them it would be dangerous, but did not stop them from coming along.

"What danger is there?" Pippin asked. "Will he shoot at us, or pour fire from the windows. Or is it possible he had put a spell on us from a distance?"

"The last is the most likely especially if you ride to his door with a light heart," Gandalf said. "Though there is no knowing what he will do. A cornered beast can be very dangerous. Be aware of his voice." He warned them.

Rhavaniel looked at Katla. "We can deal with that if we have to," she told the brunette in Nordic.

Katla nodded. She was sure they could. They went with the others towards the high dark tower that rose up towards the sky in the middle of Isengard. She and Rhavaniel moved so they were standing behind most of their companions.

Gandalf called upon Saruman. Time passed and a man came walking out on a balcony overlooking them. Katla and Rhavaniel had hidden their faces as Gandalf had walked up to the door. Katla sighed as the old man started talking. He was doing his very best to cast a spell over the people there. She could feel the sickly sweetness of his magic working around her. Slowly, the men fell under his spell.

Rhavaniel threw her hood back suddenly. "Is this all you can do?" she asked. She started walking up towards the tower. "Sweet words you speak, but you have no real power." His voice had been like the smoothest honey but hers was just as sweet. She cast his magic aside and the riders of Rohan seemed to shake themselves out of their stupor. "You speak to the King, but what you're really doing is hidden behind your words. You are trying to turn his own people against him. Unfortunately, I don't like your methods."

"And who are you?" Saruman asked. "A little elf so far away from the forest. Don't involve yourself in what you don't understand girl."

Rhavaniel smiled at him. "Oh, I understand more than you know," she said. "You sent orcs against the people of Rohan. There is no way the King will make peace with you." She was standing next to Théoden now. He gave her an appreciative look and took up the conversation where she had ended. He cast Saruman's proposal of peace back at the wizard.

Saruman reacted with rage and insulted not only Théonden but his entire family line. Then he turned to Gandalf. This time Rhavaniel didn't aid the primary target, but she did limit Saruman's powers over the riders behind them. Saruman was trying to sweet talk the white wizard beside them. Rhavaniel knew his words had no effect. She could tell Gandalf was stronger than him. She was right of course. Gandalf easily turned the tables on the old man in the tower. Then she had to roll her eyes, though. Gandalf was trying to offer Saruman redemption. He didn't deserve it, and it would be better for them if he was dead. It wasn't her world, though. She would let the master wizard do what he wished.

Of course, Saruman didn't accept Gandalf's offer. He mocked his once friend before leaving the balcony. Gandalf would not simply let him leave, however. He called him back and reached out with his power and broke Saruman's staff. Rhavaniel covered a snort. The staff was the root of their power? Poor things.

Katla moved as something came flying out of a higher window. It passed near Gandalf's head but did not hit anyone. It bounced and cracked the stairs before bouncing down into the shallow murky water. Pippin hurried after it and picked it up showing to Katla that it was an orb the size of a head. He came walking back with it and Gandalf took it from him. His demeanour seemed casual, but his shoulders were tense. That orb held power. Katla could sense it and so could Rhavaniel. They didn't make a big deal out of it. They didn't want to alarm anyone. On their way away from the tower, people discussed who threw the orb. They came to the conclusion it must have been Grima Wormtongue who had arrived a few days earlier. The angry screams that rang from the tower as they left supported their theory. Saruman did not like the fact that he had lost that orb.

As they left, they met with Fangorn. The old Ent studied the new additions to their company. He spoke at length with Legolas but did not pay that much attention to the others. He said goodbye to Merry and Pippin and bid Rhavaniel good luck.

The party continued. Rhavaniel and Katla shared a horse since they had not brought any extra. She was sitting in front of Katla while Merry and Pippin were seated with Boromir and Aragorn. They rode for quite a while. They wanted to put a decent amount of space between themselves and Saruman. The Ents had promised to look after him, but Ents had strange ideas about things. The wizard's staff may be broken, but he still held some power.

They settled down and had a quick meal before laying down to rest that evening. Rhavaniel and Katla lay next to each other a bit away from everyone else. They fell asleep quickly. They were so used to sleeping on the ground that they had no problems falling asleep. They did not sleep undisturbed, however. Rhavaniel woke up in the middle of the night. She never slept too deeply, and she could feel that something was wrong. Her eyes widened as she saw the hobbits. She woke Katla up. "Stop him," she said.

Katla turned around. Her eyes widened. She was suddenly wide awake. She moved over to the hobbits with a shout. Pippin was holding the orb that had come flying out of Saruman's tower. She placed her hands on the orb while enveloping Pippin in a hug. He had let out a scream just before she reached him that had woken the rest of the camp.

Rhavaniel had hurried after Katla and was standing next to the Nord and Hobbit. Gandalf came walking up to her. "Leave them be," Rhavaniel said. "Katla can handle this."

"That orb is not a toy," Gandalf said darkly.

"And Katla is more competent with these things than any other human you will ever meet," Rhavaniel said. "Let her handle this." She turned back to Katla. Pippin had screamed once before falling silent. He didn't seem to be in pain now, and Katla seemed unaffected.

The world had changed. Katla looked around. She was crouched around Pippin. Fire burned around them.

"Who is this?" she heard a strange disembodied voice ask.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Katla said calmly. She rose and lifted Pippin with her. She held him like a child on her hip. The disembodied voice attempted to hurt her. Nothing happened. "I don't think I like you very much," she said. She could tell that she was making him angry.

He tried hurting her once more.

Katla shook her head. "How about I try?" she said. She narrowed her eyes and gathered her power. " _ **Fo Krah Diin,"**_ she shouted. A cloud of ice spread around her and he screamed.

Rhavaniel let out a relieved breath. She had noticed Katla gathering her power. Her friend must have contained it to whatever she was seeing.

Katla smirked. "Fear me," she said. Then she shouted at him. She tore the control of the orb away from Sauron. It allowed her to look at places far and wide from where she was. There was nowhere she really wished to look, though, so she lowered the stone. She turned and met Rhavaniel's eyes. "He is afraid," she said. He will break the fear and grow angry. He was going to send a messenger for Pippin. We might want to get a move on." She had turned to Gandalf as she spoke.

"What did you tell him?" the wizard asked.

"Me nothing," Katla said. "I don't know what Pippin might have told him, but I don't think it is anything too serious."

Gandalf questioned Pippin. He learned that the young hobbit had not caused too much harm with his stupid idea. Gandalf looked back up at Katla. "What happened?" he asked.

"Rhavaniel woke me up and pointed Pippin's peril out to me. I hurried over and placed my hands on the stone. I would assume that the way I did it together with my intent protected Pippin from him. He wondered who I was. I didn't tell him. He got angry and tried to hurt me, but it didn't work. Eventually, I got bored and hurt him back. Then I blew fear into him. He will be afraid now. He won't know what it is that scares him, but he will know that I have a hobbit with me and that I have somehow come across the seeing stone of Saruman," Katla said. "I have given him an unknown enemy."

Gandalf nodded slowly. "We might be able to turn this to our advantage," he said. "Will you come with me?"

Katla nodded. "Of course, she said.

Rhavaniel stayed behind with the hobbits while most of the rest of the company walked to the side to speak.

Gandalf asked Katla to give the palantír to Aragorn to guard. She handed it over. "He might try to take control over it again. Though I hope he will think twice before he tries. I left him a little surprise if he tries. It won't hurt you if you try to use it, though, so don't worry," she said as she handed the stone over. "We should probably hurry," she said. "He did not see my mind, but I did catch a glimpse of his. He will strike against Minas Tirith." She turned to Boromir. "I think it's time we follow you home, Boromir," she said. "I am the figurehead among his enemies now. I might as well stand by those gates."

Boromir nodded. He wanted to speak to her alone if possible. Now that he knew what that stone was, he knew they needed to hurry. His father had a stone just like it. If Sauron had infested this stone then he might have infested the stone his father used as well.

"Something is coming," Katla said suddenly. She had been listening to Gandalf and Théoden as they had made their plans for the future. Like always, she had kept an eye out for enemies when she had caught sight of a great beast in the sky.

"Nazgûl!" Gandalf exclaimed. "We cannot wait for the dawn. Ride now," he told Théoden. He hurried over to his steed Shadowfax and made the horse ready. Katla and Boromir moved just as quickly.

"I'll run. It will go faster," Rhavaniel told her friend.

Katla nodded. They were leaving and they were going to travel quickly. She joined up with Boromir and Gandalf. "We are coming with you," she told the wizard. "If you don't like that then you will just have to deal with it. Boromir can be of great help once we get there and Rhavaniel and I can make sure the enemy doesn't just bring the city down. I don't care what number he throws at us."

It was obvious that Gandalf had wanted to argue with her, but he thought better of it. "You are most likely right," he said instead. Aragorn lifted Pippin up in front of the wizard on Shadowfax's back.

"I will see you again outside Minas Tirith," Katla told Aragorn before they rode off.

"We will hopefully stop at Edoras for some rest," Gandalf told them.

"Don't worry too much about that," Katla said. "Just make sure we don't strain the horses. I've never cared much for using them so I'm not that good at telling when I'm pushing one beyond its limits."

"I'll make sure we don't push them too hard," Gandalf said.

Pippin looked at Katla. "How did you do it?" he asked her. "How did you withstand him?"

Katla smiled at the little man. "I can speak the language of dragons," she said. "Their words have great power and I can wield that power. I spoke to him in the language of dragons and I unleashed the power on him. Since the power is used through words, I don't really need to be near him to harm him. Though, it is much harder without some kind of focus point. The palantír was enough of a focus."

"Does that mean you could have destroyed the Ring?" Pippin asked. He remembered that they had said a dragon's fire might be able to do it.

"It is possible," Katla said. "But, I didn't know, and it is too late now to try."

"I guess you're right," Pippin said with a sigh. He burrowed back in his blanket.

"I'll give us a bit of a head start," Katla said. "I can't keep this up forever." She breathed in calmly. She made sure she had what she wanted to be done clearly cemented in her mind. "Tiid Klo Ul," she shouted. She could give them a bit of extra time.

They rode on. Time started moving once more. Pippin fell asleep. Boromir sat worried in his saddle. He needed to get home.


	11. Rangers and Hobbits

Rangers and Hobbits

In a small forest off the side of the Mordor mountains, humans weaved in and out between the trees. They attacked the enemy army, and then they disappeared. While the humans ran around attacking people there was a shadowy figure watching them. He moved about listening to them speak to each other. He had woken up some way away. These people were the first sign of life he had come across. They looked like Imperials. Not that he could tell if that was good or bad. Still, they seemed to be the underdogs here so he preferred staying near them. He just hoped Katla and Rhavaniel were alright.

The humans stayed in a series of caves. They were filled with shadows he could hide in. Slowly he learned the meanings of the words they spoke. Little by little he understood them better. They were attentive men, but he was a master thief. He wouldn't have lived for very long if he was easy to detect.

For many days even weeks, nothing really happened. Ra'shall learnt all the ins and outs of the caves where the Imperials stayed.

Then one day the rangers he followed found a set of tiny men. They were small as children but did not have childish features. Ra'shall kept close. He was curious now. They spoke with the leader of the men, Faramir was his name. It became clear that the hobbits had been travelling with others.

They spoke at length about a man named Aragorn and one named Boromir that seemed to be Faramir's brother. They also spoke much of something called Isildur's bane. Ra'shall's eyes narrowed. He had a feeling he might need to interfere. Something felt wrong. One of the hobbits, as they called themselves, held an item filled with power. The power in itself was malicious.

Eventually, the men chose to move the hobbits.

Ra'shall snuck after them. He kept close enough to hear them, but far enough away so they wouldn't notice him. He kept close to the hobbits as the men entered their caves. The hobbits were new and interesting to him. He knew the men fairly well by now. The hobbits ate with the men and then they sat down with Faramir to speak some more. Frodo, who seemed to be the leader of the two, told Faramir of many things and places that Ra'shall knew nothing of. Then he spoke of Moria and he told tales of a tall woman with a heavy sword that came to them in a time of need.

Ra'shall's ears twitched. A woman with a greatsword. He wondered how common that was. If Faramir's reaction was anything to go by, it wasn't very common. He didn't quite seem to believe them. ' _His loss,'_ Ra'shall thought.

Then Faramir left and Ra'shall moved out of the shadows. "Hello little ones," he said softly his accent thick.

The two hobbits turned their heads his way and their eyes widened in fear.

"Now, now calm little ones," Ra'shall said. "You spoke of a mighty warrior lady. You spoke of Katla, did you not?"

Sam recovered first. He looked at the strange man before him. The feline facial features and the big teal eyes caught his eyes first. The feline's fur was dark with white streaks. He remembered the description of the man from Katla. He had asked her about her companions once. "Are you Ra'shall, Katla's companion?" he asked.

"She spoke of me, did she?" Ra'shall said. "That is good. And yes I am called Ra'shall."

"Katla said you were the sneaky sort," Sam said. "She certainly wasn't wrong. How long have you been here?"

"I have been followin' these Ranges around for a long time now," Ra'shall said. "They have not detected me yet."

Then Frodo finally seemed to shake himself out of his stupor. He reached for his bag and pulled a greyish cloak out of it. "Katla gave me this to give to you if we met you," he said softly.

"Thank you," Ra'shall said as he took the cloak. He tilted his head to the side as he looked the cloak over. A smile spread across his face. "This is a good cloak," he said. He looked out at the tunnel. "You should probably get some rest," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow." He moved back into the shadows and disappeared. He had a message to read. Katla was smart. She had left an encrypted message for him in the cloak. He found a quiet spot and read the note over. A sigh passed his lips. He knew what he needed to do now. He was glad to get some kind of direction.

In the middle of the night, they found a wretched creature in the pools that gathered outside the caves. Ra'shall watched as Frodo defended it saying the once man was their guide. The feline would not trust that being. He approached Frodo once Faramir had left them once more. He handed the hobbit a note. "Will you give this to Faramir to give to Katla. It will let her know I am with you. I will join you once you leave the humans," he said. "No one but Katla can read that note so you don't need to worry about it fallin' into wrong hands."

Frodo nodded slowly. He already felt safer knowing one of Katla's companions would travel with them. Ra'shall was a strange character, but Katla trusted him with her life so he couldn't be that bad. "I'll give it to Faramir," he said.

"Good," Ra'shall said. "I'll see ya' later." He disappeared back into the shadows. He would keep out of sight for now. Humans tended to distrust things they did not understand or know. He travelled out of the caves into the night. He would find the hobbits later.

Back in the cave Frodo and his company were given full freedom in the lands of Gondor after which Frodo handed Faramir the letter. "Will you please give this letter to Katla if you meet her," he said.

Faramir took the letter. He looked down at it. "I will," he said. He doubted he would come across any kind of female warrior, but what was the harm in taking care of the letter for now. He put it away, before telling the hobbits they would be leaving. He allowed them to see this time. They walked out and left the caves behind.

Ra'shall kept an eye on them but stayed out of sight until the humans left the hobbits. He joined with them after they had wandered on for a while. He noticed how their creeping guide seemed both surprised and scared by his presence. He didn't say anything though.

Ra'shall stayed back and said little as Gollum led the hobbits on. The little creature pushed the hobbits quite hard through the forest. Ra'shall didn't intervene. He did not trust the creature, but he didn't feel like stepping in until he knew where they were going. For now, only Gollum knew the trail. He would stay back for now. He did take off to catch a few rabbits so they would have some more meat, though. He made sure they ate fairly well.

"All of you know how to cook?" Sam asked Ra'shall one evening when they settled down.

"You mean Katla, I and Rhavaniel?" Ra'shall asked and Sam nodded. "Yes, we all know how to cook. Since we don't always travel together it's a good thing to know. That and we tend to split chores."

"That's nice," Sam said. "You are a very good cook considering what you have to work with." He was trying to get over the fact that the man sitting by the fire cooking looked like a humanoid feline. It wasn't easy. Ra'shall was very different. Katla had been easier to deal with. She was just a woman, still human, but a woman.

They walked for a long time. One thing Ra'shall came to appreciate with Gollum was that the creature at least knew where they had enemies and what had to be done to avoid them.

They left the lush forest behind and the land became greyish brown. What trees appeared were now leafless and twisted. As they travelled eventually the sun stopped shining. A thick brown cloud spread out over the sky blocking the sun out. Ra'shall looked up. A volcano was spewing out ash. Katla had told him they were heading for a volcano. At least they were going in the right direction.

Ra'shall noticed animosity growing between the two hobbits. He gave them a stern glare. "You two don't have the luxury of dislikin' each other right now. What we are doin' is too important," he said. He rose from the ground where he had been resting. "Let's go," he said. "Gollum will catch up with us. He knows his way around here. We shouldn't stay here for too long."

Ra'shall led them on. He knew the general direction they needed to go in. He had been right of course. Gollum did catch up with them. "It didn't feel safe to stay," Ra'shall told him. "I hope I didn't mess up the direction too much."

"Big cat-man not too far off," Gollum said. "He is quiet and hard to detect. Good if orcs come." Gollum didn't know what to think of the new addition to their party. He was fairly certain that his plan would still work. Cat-man would make good food too.

They reached a crossroads where statues kingly looking men stood. Suddenly, the sun shone through and Frodo froze. Ra'shall noticed how Gollum became nervous. He walked forward and lifted Frodo up. They didn't have time for this kind of thing. "Show the way Gollum," he said. Behind them, he could hear the trampling of feet. "An army is marching," he said softly.

"They are going for Minas Tirith," Frodo said.

"Don't worry about them," Ra'shall said. "Katla and Rhavaniel will have to deal with it."

He didn't put Frodo down until they had gone quite far. If nothing else, he could spare the hobbit some energy.

They travelled on. Day and night blended together as the sky darkened even more. Ra'shall eventually had to pull Sam aside while Frodo slept and Gollum was out. "You have to step back for now," he said. "I know you care for Frodo, but he is carrying something that is slowly poisoning his mind. Don't do anything that might anger him. He will regret it later. Just let me deal with it." He placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "I'll deal with it. Just be there for him."

Sam took a deep calming breath. Katla trusted this man. She was a great person. She had protected Master Frodo. "Okay," he said. He hoped the big feline was right.

Days later, or at least they thought it was days later. They turned a sharp corner around a mountainside. In front of them, a dark city rose from the ground. Ra'shall managed to force the hobbits to move along. He asked Gollum to show the way, lifted Frodo up, and grabbed Sam's hand. He rushed across the wide road that led from the city towards the forests surrounding them. He hid them among the rocks on the other side. He didn't put Frodo down though. He didn't think it would be a good idea. Something told him that there was someone in the city that could mess everything up. Gollum led them up a narrow winding staircase. Sam walked after him and Ra'shall carrying Frodo walked last. He knew they couldn't continue forever. They would have to rest soon. "Is there a flat place where we can rest?" he asked Gollum.

"Higher up," Gollum said. He pointed. "Up there. There is a place to rest for hobbitses."

"Good, let's go there," Ra'shall said. He didn't place Frodo down until he got up to the plateau. He gave the hobbits some cold rabbit from earlier that day. "How much further?" he asked Gollum.

"Not that much further now," Gollum said. "Hobbitses rest and then we can go there."

Ra'shall held out a raw rabbit to Gollum. "Eat some," he said. He had noticed that Gollum prefered his food raw. The lean creature reached out and grabbed the rabbit. "Thanks to the cat-man," he said. He snuck off away from them to eat, and Ra'shall sat down with the hobbits. He listened to them speak with half an ear. Most of his concentration was elsewhere. He was listening to the sounds around them and smelled the air. He rested with the hobbits, but he never slept fully.

Frodo was still exhausted as they made their way onwards. Ra'shall decided to pick him up and carry him again. It was easier that way. After a trek, they finally reached the cave. Ra'shall took a deep breath as Sam complained about the smell. ' _Spider,'_ he thought. He had been into enough spider holes to know there was at least one spider in there. He let Frodo down. He might have to fight. "Keep close to me," he said before they entered the darkness of the cave. As the hobbits lost the use of their eyes Ra'shall adjusted to the dark. Being a Khajiit, he could see just fine even in the dark. He noticed as Gollum hurried on ahead. He didn't say anything. It might be time to deal with the miserable creature. First, he had to make sure the hobbits made it. "Calm," he said softly. He moved forward. "I want us to turn up here. The air from there smells different." He guided them through the darkness. Webs blocked their path suddenly. Ra'shall drew a dagger and cut the heavy string. He moved the hobbits along. His ears twitched. "Here," he said as he handed his dagger to Sam. "Keep goin' straight," he said. "Do not stray. I'll be right back."

Ra'shall moved back as he drew another dagger. A smirk spread across his lips as he saw the spider. He leapt forward and took out an eye. He moved under the spider and stabbed up. Then he shifted again and rammed his dagger into the spider's side. Then he caught sight of a small figure. He moved forward quickly and pinned Gollum up against a wall. He pulled a poisoned dagger and stabbed the skinny creature in the heart. "Goodbye Gollum," he said. "Sleep well."

He moved away from Gollum's body and returned to the spider. He made quick work of her. He didn't feel like having it after him. The spider collapsed as he pulled his dagger out of her head. He climbed over her and sprinted after the hobbits.

Frodo was holding a light in his hand when he caught up with them. "We should be safe now," Ra'shall told them.

"Have you seen Gollum?" Frodo asked.

"No, I haven't," Ra'shall lied easily. "We shouldn't stay here though. If he has made it then, he will find us." He got them out of the tunnels as fast as he could. He found a safe corner outside and hid them away there. "Get some sleep. I'll look around to see what we're walking into," he said. "Eat something as well." He didn't stay after that. He moved quickly. He found some orcs and killed them as he moved. A smirk spread across his lips as he reached the top of a hill. He could see the fire mountain. There was still a long way to go, but he would get them there. ' _I've got this Katla,'_ he thought.

Ra'shall would make sure that Ring reached Mount Doom.


	12. The White City

The White City

Rhavaniel had obtained a horse when the party had stopped in Edoras. She was now sitting in her saddle holding a shield of invisibility over the group. Katla and Boromir took turns sleeping in their saddles, and Pippin had fallen asleep a long time ago. They only stopped to let the horses rest. Since Shadowfax didn't need rest as often as the other horses, Boromir, Katla, and Rhavaniel would spend time running next to their horses from time to time as well just so they would cover more ground before they had to stop.

They were on their way to Minas Tirith. They needed to hurry since they had irritated the enemy.

"We have entered Gondor now," Boromir said quietly.

"How much further?" Katla asked.

"Several leagues still," Boromir said. "Though we have gone more than halfway already from Edoras."

"That is good to hear," Rhavaniel said. "The horses don't like this."

"They will make it," Gandalf said. "Horses from Rohan can run quite far. Though I believe it is time to start running again soon."

Katla chuckled. "You say that since you don't have to," she said and he smiled at her. She just chuckled and dismounted.

Pippin didn't wake up until after they had rested and started back up again. He stirred for a while and spoke some to Gandalf. Then he asked something and pointed up. Boromir gasped. "The fires of Gondor are burning. The people of Minas Tirith are calling for aid," he said. "We must hurry."

"I'll help you," Rhavaniel said as she moved her horse closer to Katla.

"We'll give us some extra time," Katla said. She focused and shouted. They were moving outside of time.

Boromir turned in his saddle the fires had stopped lighting up. They wouldn't do that on their own so whatever Katla was doing was probably working. He turned his gaze back looking at the road in front of them. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too late.

Boromir did not breath easily again until they rode up a hill, and he could see the city of Minas Tirith. It was safe still. He rode forward as they reached the far outer wall. He spoke quickly with the men and they were allowed through. "This would have taken much longer if I had not been with you," he said as they made their way through the farmlands.

"That is true," Gandalf said. "It is good to have you with us. It will make many things easier for us as we continue."

As they approached the great gates of Minas Tirith men moved aside. Many of them called out to Gandalf, but most of the men called out to Boromir. They were glad to see their General once more. They were let into the city and could continue up to the High Court undisturbed. The city of Minas Tirith was built upwards in layers. Each layer held a wall with its own gate, but none of the gates faced each other. To get up they had to ride in zig-zag up. By the last gate, they had to leave their horses before continuing.

Boromir walked first across the courtyard. He opened the doors leading into the throne room. "Father I have returned," he spoke clearly.

Gandalf motioned for the others to stay back and allow Boromir a chance to speak to his father undisturbed for a short while. Eventually, Boromir called them forward. "You know Mithrandir of course, father," Boromir said.

"Dark is the hour when you come here Mithrandir," Denethor said. "But you come with a little spark of light. My son has returned to me. That gladdens my heart." His eyes moved to the halfling next to Gandalf. "And here is a halfling," he said.

"Not the one the omens speak of," Boromir said. "Though he is one of his kindred. His name is Peregrin Took. A valiant young man."

"Welcome to Minas Tirith, Master Peregrin," Denethor said and Pippin bowed. Then the Steward turned to the two women. "This is something I have never seen before," he said. He did not show on his face what he thought of them.

"This is Katla Dovahkiin a warrior and blacksmith that has travelled far and ended up with our company in the mines of Moria. She has been a great help to us," Boromir introduced Katla. "And the elf next to her is Rhavaniel." He chose not to speak further of her abilities knowing that his father might have some serious problems with her.

Katla and Rhavaniel bowed.

"Welcome to Minas Tirith, Katla, and Rhavaniel," Denethor said. He turned back to Gandalf rather quickly after that.

Katla met Boromir's eyes as the two old men started talking. He gave her an apologetic glance but didn't say anything. He knew he would spend a lot of time with his father. There was something he needed to ask of Katla first though. He got the chance as he escorted them back out. He fell behind with her and whispered, "Please find the Palantír that father has. Take it away will you? I do not think it is good for him."

"I'll deal with it," Katla said. She followed her guide to a house that seemed to have been set up for her and Rhavaniel as they spoke with the Steward. They were left alone which worked entirely in their favour. It didn't take them long to change clothes and drink some invisibility potions. They were off to find the seeing stone. Katla had grabbed a grappling hook from her bag before they left. She threw it up to one of the higher towers of Merethrond the King's Hall. They climbed up and snuck inside. They moved quickly and quietly. Ra'shall would have been proud.

A guard passed by. They moved up closer to the walls so they wouldn't bump into him. Rhavaniel had cast clairvoyance and was taking them straight to the orb. They didn't meet anyone but the first guard. The door was locked of course. Rhavaniel reached out and placed her hand on the lock. They heard a click and the door opened.

Katla grabbed the orb and placed it in a makeshift bag before they headed back out of the room. Rhavaniel locked the door again, and they made their way back.

"He will think we did it," Rhavaniel said.

"I know, but Boromir is right. This stone has some serious problems," Katla said. "We'll just have to hide it. We can do that."

"Yeah, of course, we can," Rhavaniel said. They moved about making sure that the orb would never be found by anyone else.

"How long do you think it will take before he notices it is gone?" Rhavaniel asked.

"I have no idea," Katla said. "Though I hope Boromir has thought further than this."

"So do I," Rhavaniel responded. Then she looked around. "Can we have a bath?" she asked. "It feels like forever since I had a proper bath."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Katla said and the two of them started working on getting a bath up and running.

They headed out once they had freshened up and went looking for Pippin. "Why don't we take a walk about the city?" Katla asked the young hobbit.

"That would be nice," Pippin said. "Do you think we can get breakfast too?"

Rhavaniel laughed. "Of course we can get some breakfast. I'll go back and get us some. Why don't you two find somewhere nice to settle down and eat," she said.

"Sure," Katla said. She and Pippin headed off. They found a spot on top of one of the inner walls and settled down. From there they could see far over the land of Gondor. Rhavaniel joined them not long after. She brought with her an assortment of food items. "We are going to have to see if we can get food somewhere," she said. "This is some of the last we have."

"We'll look into it later," Katla said.

"What will happen now?" Pippin asked as they ate.

"Now we wait and prepare," Katla said. She looked at Rhavaniel. "Should we place runes out there?"

Rhavaniel looked out over the field before the city. "That is probably a good idea," she said.

"You can come with us if you like," Katla told Pippin. "None of us should be alone now. I'm going to do some smithing. Boromir could do with a better sword and shield. You could do with some armour."

"Can I help?" Pippin asked. He really wanted to feel useful somehow.

"I will travel outside the city and have a look around," Rhavaniel said. "I want to see where my traps would do the most damage."

"Then I will gather some material before doing some armour and weaponsmithing," Katla said. "Come with me, Pippin. I can't make armour for you without you. It wouldn't fit very well."

Rhavaniel headed off in her own way while Katla and Pippin headed out in the city. They were looking for a smith. Hopefully, he would have some material Katla could use. As they walked around they came upon a group of boys. One of them turned and caught sight of them. He came running over. "Greetings," he said. "Where do you come from. You're strangers in the city."

"Greetings young one," Katla said. "Yes, we're strangers here. I am Katla from Skyrim."

"And I am Peregrin Took or Pippin from the Shire," Pippin said.

"You know that all women have been moved from the city," the boy told Katla.

"I assume they have moved out most of the children too," Katla said. "It is a wise decision. It doesn't affect me though. I am here to fight, not run away and hide."

"You will fight?" the boy asked. He looked her up and down. "Can you fight?"

Katla smiled kindly at the boy. "Oh, I'm fairly certain that I have more experience fighting then most men in Gondor," she said.

"Really?" the boy didn't quite seem to believe her.

"If you watch during the battle that is to come, you can judge for yourself," Katla said. "For now I'm looking for a smith. You wouldn't happen to know where I could find one."

"Of course I know," the boy said. "Bron is this way. Though you might want to be careful he has quite the temper."

"Don't worry about that," Katla said. "I have dealt with bad tempers before." She studied the youngster. "What is your name young one?" she asked.

"I'm Bergil son of Beregond of the Guard," the boy said.

"It's nice to meet you Bergil," Katla said.

They reached the smithy and Katla walked in leaving Pippin and Bergil outside. According to the boy. Bron did not like strangers and especially not children in his smithy.

Bron, it turned out, was an old man. He was sitting in a rickety chair watching his apprentices work. When Katla walked in he looked up. "Who let you in here. Get out woman!" he shouted.

Katla raised an eyebrow. Normally she allowed a smith his own rules in his own smithy, but they were on the brink of war. She didn't have time to care especially since she could see that the apprentices were working on things completely unrelated to the war effort. Door hinges and horseshoes were not what they needed right now. According to Bergil, this was the only smithy around. She had a feeling she would have to do something rather drastic to fix things.

"Are you hard of hearing," Bron said angrily. "Get out! Womenfolk don't belong in here."

Katla rolled her eyes. "Maybe you should try being a little nicer to people you don't know," she said.

Bron gave her an angry glare. "Get her out of here boys," he ordered his apprentices.

The two boys moved from their work towards Katla. The tall brunette shifted. She grabbed the first man and kicked his feet out from under him. She dropped him to the ground before parrying a punch from the other one. Quickly she grabbed his arms and twisted them up on his back. "War is coming and you are making horseshoes. You won't need horses now; the enemy is coming here," she said. She threw the man down on the ground. Then she turned to the smith. She could smell the vine on his breath. She shook her head in disgust before she turned to the men on the floor. "Wouldn't you rather help the soldiers than make unimportant nicknacks?" she asked.

The men rose slowly. "Master Bron says we're not ready," he said.

"Bullshit," Katla said. "I can teach you."

"A woman teaching blacksmithing," Bron said. "You'll be making croche before the day is out."

Katla turned. "I bet I could teach your apprentices how to smith swords and armour before the day is out," she said. She pulled a pouch from her belt. "If I lose you can have this," she placed the pouch down and opened it. It was filled to the brim with golden coins. "If I win you will allow me to use this smithy until we have won the war or perished."

Bron licked his lips. There was a lot of gold in that pouch. "Deal," he said. He knew she would lose. No woman knew how to manage a smithy. "Good luck," he said before leaving the room with a grin.

"Well," Katla said. "Let's get to work. Increase the heat of the forges. I need to have a word with one of my companions." She walked outside to let Pippin know she would be busy for a while.

Thankfully Bergil didn't mind showing Pippin around for a few hours.

"I want you back here by evening. Make sure you have eaten first. I'll measure out the armour for you then. I have to make sure the boys in here know what they are doing first. Then I can put you to work as well."

Pippin nodded. "Alright," he said. "I'll be back later."

Katla walked back inside. "Okay boys let's get working. The men will need helmets and swords. We're going to have to make arrows in dozens, but let's start with swords. It'll be rather horrible if they don't have enough when the battle starts."

Slowly and patiently she showed them how it was done. She made sure there were no mistakes made. They didn't have materials enough to make mistakes. She had brought her own tools thankfully since she hated using someone else's tools. She was patient with the young men. They were both quite skilled, however, and they picked up on the things she taught them quickly. She learned that their names were Orden and Keith.

By the time Pippin came back both young men were working independently. Katla took the hobbit inside and pulled dragonhide out of her bag. She also brought out a knotted string to measure with. Slowly she measured him and then she lifted the hide up. She pulled a knife from her belt and cut the hide.

Once she had the pieces she needed she grabbed her pot from her bag and put it in the fire of one of the forges. "I want you to keep an eye on this," she told Pippin. Then she brought out pieces of Stalhrim. "Add these to the pot one by one. Let them melt before you add the next one. "We'll strengthen your armour with it and make a sword for Boromir. We'll also coat your sword. It will strengthen the blade."

Pippin nodded and sat down next to the forge. It was warm, but he didn't mind. The Stalhrim in his lap felt cold. He placed the first piece into the pot. It clattered as it hit the bottom. He watched as the piece of bluish stone melted like water. His eyes widened. "Is this ice?" he asked.

"In a way," Katla answered. She was sowing the hides together to create a scale armour chest for the hobbit. She would then attach scales made out of Stalhrim to the hide. It would be quite durable.

The armour she was going to make for Boromir would be made from steel, but she would coat it in Stalhrim.

Bron came walking into the smithy with a smirk on his face. The smirk dropped as he saw the dozen or so swords leaning against a wall. He walked up and grabbed one of them. "You call this a sword," he said with a sneer.

Katla didn't even look his way. She was busy working.

"Yes, that is a sword," Orden said irritably. He had not realised just how badly his Master had treated him before. His father had paid this man quite a lot of money to take him on. Yet Katla had stepped in and he felt he had learned more from her in a day than he had from his Master in years. He was seriously considering asking his father to switch master once the war was over.

Bron raised his hand to strike at his apprentice. He didn't manage though. His hand had been caught by Katla. "Where I am from striking an apprentice means you lose the right to call yourself a Master," she said. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

There was a knock on the door. It opened and a man in the city's uniform came walking in. His hair was iron grey. "Is the order done?" he asked in a gruff tone.

"Order," Bron asked.

"The one I told you about three days ago Master," Orden said calmly.

"I have not been given any order," Bron said. "Don't you lie to me boy." His face was slowly getting redder and redder.

"I handed an order to my son. I highly doubt he did not hand it to you, Master Bron," the soldier said.

"I have not been given any order," Bron maintained.

"What was the order for?" Katla asked.

The soldier's eyes widened slightly as he saw her, but he quickly recovered. "My regiment needs swords milady," he said.

"How many?" Katla asked.

"Two dozen, ma'am."

"They will be done tomorrow," Katla said. "We have to sharpen them up first though." She walked over to the wall and grabbed one of the swords. She walked over to the soldier and handed the sword to him. "What do you say?" she asked.

He felt the sword out. An appreciative smile spread across his lips. "This is a good one," he said.

"Your son made it," Katla said.

"Did he now," the soldier said.

"Yeah," Orden said. He told his father of Katla's bet with his Master. "She taught us how to make them." As he had spoken his father had visibly gotten angrier. He turned to Bron. I hope you'll keep up your end of that bet. Katla has obviously proven that she is more competent than you are. I expect to see her here instead of you until we have made it through this war." He turned to Katla. "You let me know if he disturbs you in any way," he said. "I'll be back tomorrow to collect the swords. He didn't leave the smithy until Bron walked out with him.

The blacksmith was cursing the entire way home.

"Father isn't always this bad," Keith said. "He doesn't think we'll make it really, and that has gotten him drinking more."

"Don't worry Keith," Katla said. "I don't really have anything against your father. Its hard times and I would have shown him more respect if a war wasn't inevitable."

Keith nodded. "Don't take me wrong you are a very good teacher. It's just that he is my father," he said.

"I understand Keith," Katla said. "I'm not here to throw him out." She smiled at him. "Try to get your father off the wine. It will improve his mood some."

"I'll try," Keith said.

"Now head home. I want you back here well rested in the morning. We have a lot of work to do," Katla said. She sent Pippin back to get some sleep as well. She needed to pour the Stalhrim into the moulds she had made. She had asked Pippin to hand her his sword before he left and that was dipped in first. She hung it up so it could set. She covered the forges and made sure everything was in its place before she left the smithy. She would be back with the rise of the sun the next day.

…

Boromir made his way down to the houses that had been set aside for his companions the next day. He knocked on the door of the ladies' house. The door opened almost right away. It was Rhavaniel.

"Hello, Boromir," she said. "What brings you here?"

"Where is Katla," Boromir asked.

"She took over the smithy. They had some problems and the soldiers weren't getting what they needed," Rhavaniel said. "She's keeping busy."

"Father was trying to send guards after you. He wanted the both of you arrested. I managed to talk him out of it though. He isn't happy, but there is nothing he can do. He accused you of stealing something, but he would say what it was," Boromir said. "We don't agree on very much right now. I think he has problems with me not bringing the Ring with me here."

"You wouldn't have brought it here either way. If Frodo hadn't left Katla would have destroyed the Ring by now," Rhavaniel said. "Don't worry too much about that."

Boromir sighed. "I know," he said. "I should get back."

"And I should get out," Rhavaniel said. "I've been setting up traps outside the walls. Hopefully, I can thin their numbers when they attack." She waved goodbye to Boromir and took off. She was busy out on the field for several hours. The suddenly she heard the call of a horn. She turned around searching the area around her. In the air were some kind of flying creature, unlike anything she had ever seen before. They were hunting several riders. She started running summoning her bow as she went. She reached the riders and leapt up on top the leader's horse right behind him. "Keep going," she told him. She turned around and fired an arrow at their hunters. Her eyes narrowed as the arrow hit some kind of shield. She got rid of the bow and turned around completely so she was sitting with her back to the rider's back. She summoned an ice spear and threw it. It exploded against the shield. "Damn you," she hissed. She closed her eyes and threw out an invisibility bubble around the riders. "Change your course. They can't see you now," she called. Then she turned back around. "They have a blasted shield around them. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy." She looked towards Minas Tirith where a single rider made his way towards them. Light spread from his staff towards the creatures in the sky above.

"Light," Rhavaniel said disbelievingly as the creatures screeched. "They don't like bright lights!" She turned around and built up a mage light between her hands. She threw it at the creatures. It shone brightly like a second sun hand suddenly appeared.

They reached the gate and passed inside. Boromir met them just inside. "Brother," he said relieved. "You have finally made it back. I was worried you had fallen out there."

"I see you have returned as well, brother," Faramir said. He looked behind at the woman sitting on his horse. "I take it this is one of your companions. I did not expect to see an elf in Minas Tirith. Thank you for aiding us milady," he said.

"I couldn't just ignore you. You seemed to be having some trouble," Rhavaniel said.

"Come we should head up to father," Boromir said. "You should come as well Rhavaniel."

The Bosmer sighed. She didn't really feel like it, but she guessed she might as well. She stayed seated behind Faramir as they rode up towards the citadel. The brothers spoke quietly as they made their way up. Rhavaniel didn't pay that much attention to them. It felt like their conversation was private. She followed them after they had left the horses and walked to the citadel.

Rhavaniel stayed back as Faramir reported to his father. She could see how Denethor was angered when Faramir said he had allowed Frodo and Sam to leave. Denethor really wanted the Ring. She thought it was good it hadn't made it to the city.

"I believe that Faramir did the right thing," Boromir said defending his brother.

"You are both too young to know what the right thing is," Denethor said. "You have failed your country. You should have brought the Ring here not allowed it to wander with two foolish halflings into Mordor." He calmed. "It is too late to do anything about that now though." He looked at Faramir. "How is the garrison at Osgiliath?" he asked.

"Not strong," Faramir answered. "I sent what men I could there, but if the city is attacked they will not make it."

"They need a strong captain to lead them," Denethor said. "I can see that you are tired, however. We will speak more of this once you have slept." He dismissed them after that.

Rhavaniel walked behind the brothers as they left. She looked at the sky. She gave a nod of determination. She had made a decision. Quickly she made it down to where their horses were kept and mounted the one she had been given. She took off out of the city quickly. There was no point in killing men just for the sake of it. Her runes would kill more than those men could. She would get them back to the city. It would make Katla happy.

She had noticed something as Faramir had spoken to his father. Gandalf who had stood behind them had started trembling in fear as Faramir spoke of the halflings that had crossed his path. She hoped it wasn't as bad as the old man feared.

While Rhavaniel was riding to gather the men who were protecting the outer edges of Gondor, Katla was working hard on Boromir's armour. She had set the apprentices to work on arrows now. They would need many in the defence of the city.

Another night came and went. Katla finished the armour and dozen upon dozens of arrows left the smithy and made their way up to the outer wall. Pippin and the errand boys ran many times to get the arrows where they would be needed.

The next morning didn't quite dawn. Boromir stood with his brother in the citadel. Their father had just ordered Faramir to go to Osgiliath. "He isn't going," Boromir said. He was determined.

"You speak up against me?" Denethor asked.

"Yes," Boromir said. "We will lose Osgiliath now. It doesn't matter what we do. What is the point of throwing away our men's' lives there? Let's bring them back to Minas Tirith so they can help defend the city instead."

"Ah, I see now. The elvish wrench must have put a spell on you," Denethor said.

"No, she has not," Boromir said. "I have spent time learning patience. I understand things better now, father. We would be better off bringing those men back."

"You know nothing," Denethor hissed. "I should never have sent you away. Your head has been filled with lies and silly notions. There is no winning this war now."

Boromir sighed. "I don't think you're right, father," he said. "I believe we could still win. I don't think we need the Ring to do so. I won't even give up hope if Sauron himself walks with his army Ring in hand. We can't just give up."

"Foolish boy," Denethor spat. "You don't know what you are talking about." he turned to Faramir. "You will go to Osgiliath. That is an order."

"Guard," Boromir called.

Two of the Citadel guards came up. "Please take my father to his room. Give him anything he asks for, but do not let him escape the room. It would seem that his age and the stress of the battle that is to come has taken its toll on him. Let's spare him that worry."

"You dare try this, Boromir. I am still Steward here," Denethor said angrily. "Guards throw this traitor in the dungeons."

The guards looked from Boromir to Denethor. "Please do as my brother ask," Faramir said calmly. He did not like it, but their father was not thinking clearly. They couldn't have conflicting orders once the battle started.

The Guards walked up to Denethor and grabbed him. They dragged him out of the hall.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Faramir asked his brother.

Boromir nodded slowly. "I didn't want to do it really, but I believe that father's mind has been infected by the enemy," he said. "Father had a Seeing Stone. One of the Palantír. I saw it long ago when I was little. I didn't know what it was then, but some time ago one of those stones ended up in our party's possession. Gandalf told us what it was. The stone we had was connected to the Enemy. It took a very powerful person to take it back. I don't think that father has noticed. The Enemy was most likely quite subtle, but it is possible that the Enemy has been tricking father for quite some time now."

"What will we do?" Faramir asked.

"Prepare for war," Boromir said. "First there is someone I want you to meet. You have seen Rhavaniel, but there was another that came with us." He gave several orders before they left the citadel. Then he led his brother through the city. They reached the smithy and Boromir walked in.

"How are we doing with the swords."

"Almost done."

"Can I get a bit of time," Boromir asked.

Faramir walked up next to his brother in the hot smithy. His eyes widened as a woman as tall as his brother turned around and came walking up to them. "Hello, Boromir. It's good you came I just finished your armour," she said.

"You have made an armour for me?" Boromir said surprised.

"Of course. I'm making sure all of us are well protected in the battle to come. You should see Pippin in his armour," Katla said. Her amber eyes travelled to the man next to Boromir. "Faramir I take it. You look a lot like your father."

"Yes I'm Faramir," Faramir said.

"Katla," Katla said. "Warrior and blacksmith. Right now I'm making sure everyone has what they need."

Faramir watched her with blatant surprise as she gave orders to the two young men she had in there. Then he watched as she took Boromir further in and showed him a set of armour.

Boromir reached out and pulled the sword. It glistened blue in the light from the forges. "You made this from Stalhrim?" he asked.

"Yes," Katla said. "I know it is a little flashy, but we're going to be on a battlefield. I don't think it matters if you're a bit visible. If they are dumb enough to go after you, this armour will protect you better than any armour your men will have.

"You have more arrows Katla?"

Faramir looked down. Next to him stood a halfling.

Katla tilted her head to the side. "This is not the first halfling you see," she said.

Faramir shook his head. "No," he said. "I came across Frodo and Sam."

Pippin looked up at him. "You have seen Frodo and Sam. How are they doing? Where are they?" he asked. His eyes were filled with worry.

"They seemed to be doing alright at the time," Faramir said. "Actually," he said. He pulled a letter out of a pocket. "Frodo gave me this to give to you Katla," he handed her the letter. "I didn't believe you existed at the time, but I guess I was wrong."

Katla looked down at the letter. "Why would Frodo wright me," she said softly. "There are others in our company that are dearer to him." She opened the letter up. A clear joyful laughter escaped her as she read. She practically bounced forward and hugged Boromir. "Let's find Gandalf," she said. "I might as well tell him this as well." She reached out and lifted Pippin up. She turned to Orden and Keith. "Hold down the fort until I get back. You two know what to do."

Katla hurried out of the smithy. "Someone, bring Gandalf to the citadel," she said. "We might as well meet there." After saying that she picked up her pace and practically ran all the way up there. She was glowing with happiness. Pippin couldn't help but feel happy too.

Boromir, Faramir and Gandalf joined them not long after.

"What is going on?" Gandalf asked.

Katla lifted the letter. "We have won," she said.

Gandalf gave her a strange look. "I'm sorry what do you mean?" he asked.

"Ra'shall has joined Frodo and Sam," Katla said. "He is the one that gave the hobbits the letter. Ra'shall must have ended up somewhere near Faramir's rangers. He writes that he stayed hidden around them for quite some time. Then the hobbits came and they spoke of me. He approached them and Frodo gave him the cloak Galadriel gave me. I had attached a message to that cloak in case they would come across Ra'shall. I asked him to join them and make sure the Ring was destroyed. He will destroy that ring. There is no better thief in Tamriel. He will make it into Mordor, and he will throw that ring in the fire."

"What about Frodo and Sam?" Pippin asked.

"Oh, I specified that he was to do everything in his power to keep them alive," Katla said. She smiled. "That ring is history," she said. "Now we just have to survive the coming battle."

The men looked at each other. "You don't mind if we worry about the Ring a little, do you?" Boromir asked.

"I don't mind at all," Katla said.

"Where is Rhavaniel by the way?" Boromir asked.

"I haven't seen her since yesterday morning. She must have gone off somewhere," Katla said.

"She was with us yesterday," Faramir said. "We spoke with father about Frodo and Sam and Osgiliath…"

"She might have gone there," Katla said. "She'll bring the men there back if she did."

"How?" Faramir asked.

"She has her ways," Katla said. "She can be extremely convincing." She took a calming breath. "I'll head back to the smithy unless you need me for something else," she said.

"I think we'll manage," Boromir said.

"I'll have someone bring you your armour," Katla told Boromir. She headed out off the citadel.

"I must call the Council. We have much to discuss. I'm going to have to explain myself to them since I called for father's removal without their input," Boromir said. "I hope you will aid me. They respect you both."

The day passed. The Council listened to Boromir's reasons for removing his father and agreed that for now with the war so close they would allow it. They did not quite agree with Boromir when it came to withdrawing their men from all outposts, but they allowed for it. Boromir promised the Rohirrim were coming and there was no point in letting men die. "I know this brings the orcs straight to us, but we have plans in place to deal with that."

"What plans?"

"We have rigged the field with traps," Boromir said. "An ally of mine has been out there every day since we got here preparing."

"I hope you know what you are doing Boromir."

While the Council met, Rhavaniel was leading the men that had been in Osgiliath back to Minas Tirith. She had trapped the entire city up. It would explode on the orcs when they arrived. She was deadly tired, but she felt like her traps would at least slow the orcs down. They would at least do more than the men that had been there.

Katla was in their house when Rhavaniel came back. "I brought some people back so they wouldn't get murdered," the Bosmer said as she flopped down on a chair.

"It's a good thing the Council agreed to Boromir's proposition to bring them home then," Katla said.

"I didn't care that much about that. I don't take orders from anyone. It's a little late to send them back now. They would just have to deal with it," Rhavaniel said.

"True," Katla said.

The following day didn't really dawn. A darkness had spread from Mordor and was covering the sky above the city. Rhavaniel stood on the outmost wall and looked towards Osgiliath. Lightning was shooting from the ground to the sky.

"What is happening over there?"

"I had some fun over there two days ago," Rhavaniel said. "I didn't want the Enemy army to get here too quickly."

"It is quite the light show."

"Yeah, I might have overdone it a little," Rhavaniel said. She turned her head to look at the soldier that stood next to her.

"You're going to fight in the battle?" the man asked.

"Yes," Rhavaniel answered. "I have booby-trapped the entire field. I'll make it all go off when they come here."

"That gives me hope," the man said.

"There are a few of us that will give you hope in this battle. We'll spread out," Rhavaniel said. "We'll find a way to keep the mood of the men up."

Rhavaniel's traps kept the forces coming from Osgiliath at bay for a day, but people came fleeing from many other directions. Now Katla and Rhavaniel rode out together to protect those who fled from the horde. They only brought a few men with them, but it was enough to keep the people of Gondor safe. By nightfall, the city was surrounded.

Rhavaniel and Katla walked up on the wall. "Do I set them off now?" the elf asked.

"Wait for just a little bit," Katla said. "They are making fortifications now. Let their machines get into place before you unleash your power on them."

Boromir and Faramir joined the women on the wall.

"This does not bode well," Boromir said. He was worried he had made the wrong decision now.

Above them, the Nazgûl's flying steeds let out shrieks of death. Near Katla and Rhavaniel men stood tall despite the terrible sound, but further away men covered in fear at the noise.

"I think I'll wait until morning," Rhavaniel said. "Shall we get some sleep?"

Katla rolled her eyes but she went with her friend. They slept soundly despite the danger and were up again before the sun rose even though they could not see it through the smoke. Rain of fire had fallen on the city during the night.

Katla and Rhavaniel walked up on the wall. They could see how the men's spirits rose as they walked up.

"Let's meet fire with fire," Rhavaniel said. She raised a hand and all her fire runes burst into flames. It rose like waves and burned everything near them. On the wall, the men called out. They had never seen anything like it. It didn't end there though. As Katla drew her bow and started firing at the orcs, Rhavaniel released her lightning runes. Bolts of lightning struck the sky from the earth all around the field. Machines were destroyed if they stood too close to the runes.

Katla moved quickly toward the gate. She had seen a great machine of iron and fire move towards their weakest point. She reached it and drew arrow upon arrow killing the trolls guiding it. " _ **Fus Ro Dah,"**_ she shouted at the machine and it fell to pieces before the gates. Around her, the men cheered.

Gandalf stood not far away from her. He held the spirits of the men as high as he could while fighting the enemies that managed to get on top of the wall. Then Faramir appeared. He rushed up to Gandalf. "You must come," he said. "Father has gone mad. Please, you must help him, Mithrandir. Gandalf looked out over the field. He did not want to leave the front lines.

"Go Gandalf," Katla called to him. "We can hold this until you return. Don't let the Steward do anything stupid."

Gandalf met her eyes. Then he gave a short nod. He moved down the stairs and called upon Shadowfax. He and Faramir took off towards the Citadel. As the two left, a single rooster let out a strangled cry. As the cry died down horns could be heard. Horns in the distance.

Boromir lifted his own horn in response and blew. "Rohan is here!" he called. "The Rohirrim are coming." The men around him laughed with relief. The news spread quickly. Hope rose among the men of Gondor.

Rhavaniel released her hold on the last of her runes. Ice spread among the enemies. She had saved it as long as she could, but she didn't want to hurt the riders with her magic. She moved closer to Katla as she fired upon the orcs below. Then one of the Nazgûl flew down towards the walls and tore into the men there. People fled in fear.

"I can't hurt them," Rhavaniel said as she looked at the flying beasts of the Nazgûl. "They have some kind of shield. I have to get closer."

Katla looked around the two of them. They had killed many orcs, but more still streamed onto the battlefield. Even with the Rohirrim, they might not make it. Rhavaniel had used her runes. They didn't have anything more up their sleeves now. They were tough, but the Nazgûl were really starting to become a problem. There were four riders not counting their leader. They had to go.

"I have an idea," Katla told Rhavaniel. She spoke to the elf quickly in Nordic.

Rhavaniel took a deep breath. She gave a curt nod. "You think this can be done?" she asked.

"Yes," Katla said.

"Then let's do it," Rhavaniel said.

"We should tell Boromir first," Katla said. "I don't want to be shot at."

"That is a good point," Rhavaniel said. She followed Katla as they made their way to where Boromir stood. Her mind was working a mile a minute. She needed to help protect Katla. Then it hit her. Clear and beautiful her voice rose as she sang:

Our hero, our hero  
Claims a warrior's heart  
I tell you, I tell you  
The Dragonborn comes

With a Voice wielding power  
Of the ancient Nord art  
Believe, believe,  
The Dragonborn comes

It's an end to the evil  
Of all Gondor's foes  
Beware, beware  
The Dragonborn comes

For the darkness has passed  
And the legend yet grows  
You'll know, you'll know  
The Dragonborn's come

Men turned to look at Rhavaniel as she and Katla passed them. She knew her voice was reaching them. Hopefully, they would remember her words. They reached Boromir and Katla walked up to him at the same time as the Rohirrim started their assault.

"Boromir," she said. "I need to speak to you."

The Captain of Gondor killed another orc then he turned to meet her eyes. "What is it?" he asked.

"Rhavaniel and I are going to attack the Nazgûl. Please don't fear me," Katla said. She moved away from him and met Rhavaniel's eyes. They nodded and Katla drew on her power. " _ **Dov Zii Kaal,"**_ she shouted. At first, nothing happened. Then Katla screamed out in pain as her body changed. Her bones twisted and she grew larger as her skin and her armour became one.

Then a great green and black dragon stood next to Boromir on the wall. Her scaly head moved from side to side slowly. Then she spread her great wings.

"Katla," Rhavaniel said softly.

The dragon turned her head to the Bosmer. She moved her head forward and bumped the elf's chin with her nose. Rhavaniel smiled. She moved quickly to settle on Katla's back. "If you would tell your men not to shot us, that would be nice," she told Boromir. "We'll be hunting Nazgûl." She grabbed on to spikes sticking up from Katla's neck. "Let's go," she said.

Once, twice, thrice the dragon beat her wings bringing herself up in the air. She took off towards the nearest flying beast of death with a roar. She tore through the shield protecting the rider from projectiles and Rhavaniel ran over to the Nazgûl. The nimble elf summoned a sword and attacked him. He tried casting her off, but she held on and rammed her sword down his throat. She jumped back to Katla quickly, and the dragon grabbed onto the rotten beast the Nazgûl had flow on. She tore it apart with a roar.

Down on the wall, Boromir looked up at the sky. He watched as the green dragon reached another Nazgûl. Rhavaniel made quick work of the rider and the dragon tore the mount apart. Katla was terrifying yet beautiful. Seeing her transform had been horrifying. He didn't know what to feel about her being capable of doing it. He couldn't deny that it was useful though. He turned back to his own battle.

Out on the battlefield, King Théoden met the Witch-King of Angmar in battle. The foul mount of the Witch-King dug its claws into the King's mighty steed and threw it in the air. The horse landed on its rider. It seems like the King would be devoured by the steed, but there was one warrior there to stop him.

Rhavaniel wrestled the last Nazgûl. He had forced her to drop her sword. Then suddenly she grabbed him and twisted them around. She brought them falling quickly towards the ground. Katla dived after them. She grabbed Rhavaniel with a clawed foot before turning so she could blow ice at the mount. It froze solid and fell heavily towards the ground. Katla followed and dropped Rhavaniel on the ground before she landed on the Nazgûl. Her fiery breath tore through his armour and set his cloak on fire. Unlike normal fire though, her's was so hot it burned his very soul to ash.

A horrible screech tore through the air.

"Katla let's go there," Rhavaniel called as she jumped up on the dragon's back. They took off quickly and flew across the field. Katla burned enemies as they went leaving nothing but ash in her wake. She landed next to the corpse of a Nazgûl's mount. She moved around slowly.

"Oh, my there is a woman," Rhavaniel said as she dropped down from Katla's back.

Katla turned her head. It was Èowyn the niece of the king. She felt something hit her flank and turned quickly. It was an orc and she struck out biting his head off. She looked around her at the fallen. "Sahqo-peyt," she said.

Rhavaniel turned around when she heard Katla's nickname for her being spoken. She looked over at the dragon. She was standing with her head over a small body. Rhavaniel rushed forward. It was Merry. She lifted him up and carried him over to the woman. "They are both alive," she said softly. She fed some potion into them. "I'm not entirely sure what is wrong with them. I don't have time to find out now." Katla couldn't bring the two injured back to the city, and they really needed to get off the battlefield. She rose as riders came closer. "Don't attack the dragon she won't like it," she said in a clear voice.

"Rhavaniel?" Éomer said. He looked at the ground around himself seeing his King and his sister. Théoden's eyes opened and he spoke his last words to his nephew naming him king. Then Éomer's eyes moved to his sister.

"She is still alive," Rhavaniel said. "We need to get her to the city and away from the battle. I have done what I can for her right now, but there is much else that needs to be done."

"We'll get our people to the city," Éomer said. He looked at the dragon. "You can get back to the fight if you'd like."

Rhavaniel bowed and rushed back to Katla. "Let's go," she said. "I think we should turn the orcs to statues."

Katla took flight. "Attack the mammoth looking things Katla," Rhavaniel shouted. "They look to be giving the riders problems."

Katla veered off towards the great beasts.

Back on the wall Faramir and Gandalf had returned to the wall. Faramir found his brother. "Father killed himself," he said softly. "He threw himself from the courtyard and into the city. Gandalf and I tried to stop him, but we couldn't."

Boromir sighed. He didn't have time to mourn now. The Haradrim had arrived on their Mûmakil. He could see Katla attacking them. "We should ride out and help the Rohirrim," he said.

Faramir nodded. "I'll gather what men we have horses for," he said. They separated only for a short time before meeting again by the gate. There they found men of Rohan carrying britches with bodies on them. Boromir's eyes widened as he saw Éowyn.

"Lady Éowyn and Master Meriadoc are alive still," the leader of the men said. "Where do we take them?"

"Show them to the house of healing," Boromir told a soldier not too far off.

"We're also bringing King Théoden's body. He was felled in battle."

"Make a house available and place his body inside until he can be buried," Faramir ordered.

"Thank you."

Out on the field, Rhavaniel had noticed ships coming down the river. "Katla the ships," she called.

They had slain many of the big mammoth-like creatures by then. There were more coming, but if those ships were filled with enemies, then they needed to sink them before they reached the shore.

"A dragon is coming our way!"

Legolas turned around. His eyes widened. The man was right. There was a dragon heading their way. He raised his bow, an arrow on the string. Then his eyes narrowed. "Don't shoot," he called. "That is Rhavaniel on the dragon's back."

At about the same time Rhavaniel had realised the ships were filled not with orcs but with men. She could see Aragorn and Legolas among them.

"Where did she get a dragon from?" Gimli asked.

"You'll have to ask her," Legolas said.

The dragon took off towards the battle again. It landed on one of the Mûmakil and tore it apart as the ships moved in and a great banner unfolded over the black sail of the first ship. It showed the white tree of Gondor and the seven stars of Elendil with a silvery crown. An emblem only used by the Kings of Gondor. Aragorn had come to join the battle and he brought many men with him. The forces of Sauron who were already failing because of the dragon flying around the field now feared for their lives. Aragorn's men came flooding onto the battlefield. They were well rested and fought fiercely.

Boromir and Faramir led their men towards the Rohirrim to join up with Éomer when Faramir was cast from his saddle. Boromir turned his horse and went directly to his brother's side. He slashed an orc's head clean off with his gleaming blue sword.

"I'm alive," Faramir choked. "I'm bleeding a lot though."

Boromir looked around. He needed someone who could help his brother. Then it hit him. Katla had saved him. He lifted his horn in hopes that she would come. He smiled as she turned his way almost immediately. She landed next to him. "My brother is hurt badly," he said.

Rhavaniel jumped off. She kneeled down next to the younger brother. "I can heal this," she said. She looked up at Katla. "Protect us," she said.

Katla moved so she was standing with one of her wings like a tent over the two on the ground.

"The blood isn't a problem," Rhavaniel said. "It's just an open wound I can fix that easily." Her hands started glowing golden and she placed them against his bare skin over the wound. "You have been poisoned though. You won't be moving around for a few days," she said. "At least not if you want to stay healthy. I don't like people ignoring my orders."

Faramir chuckled. "I guess I better listen then," he said. He looked up at the dragon wing. "I never thought I would get to see a dragon," he said. "It's quite the experience to be protected by one."

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes. The battle was over for them. She would get Faramir back to the City. Then she would join the healers. It was an important job now as well. She looked at Katla. "We're going back to the city," she said. "You can do whatever you wish. They could still use your help."

Katla rose into the air once more. There were still mammoths on the field. She flew off towards them. She struck at one when a light-footed elf ran up on her back. She knew it was Legolas. "I hope you don't mind," he said. She lifted into the air with him on her back. They picked off the remaining mounts as quickly as they could.

"How did you get the dragon?" Gimli asked as Katla flew Legolas over to him.

"She didn't seem to mind my company," Legolas said. "It is quite thrilling to fly." He moved off the dragon's back. "Thank you," he said.

The battle was won, but the war was still going.

Katla rose into the air. She was going to help clean up. She would gather orcs and the Nazgûl mounts together in a pile and burn them. She would leave the humans be. She didn't want to damage any of their allies. Men came out from the city to help her as she worked.

Rhavaniel worked hard healing the injured as they came from the battle. She did what she could to heal anyone she could.

It was late when she and Katla met again by their house. Katla shuddered and turned back into a woman. "That was interesting," she said. "I thought there would be more of a change, but I guess I'm more dragon than I thought."

"Let's get some sleep," Rhavaniel said. "You have moved bodies and I have healed the wounded for hours now. We need to sleep."

Before Katla had left she had set fire to the big pile of bodies she had gathered together. She didn't need wood to make things burn. She hadn't left until the fire had burned out.

The two of them slept heavily and long that night.


	13. The Battle of Mordor

The Battle of Mordor

The day after the battle dawned bright. Katla headed out into the city by herself. Rhavaniel had already gone to aid the wounded. She could hear people singing about the Dragonborn at times while she walked. She hoped most people hadn't realised it was her. She didn't need the recognition.

She met Legolas and Gimli as she wandered around. "Hello friends," she said.

"Katla, there you are, girl," Gimli said. "We missed you on the battlefield."

"Oh, I was there, Master Gimli," Katla said with a mischievous smiled. These two she didn't mind knowing the truth. She didn't really want all of the people in Gondor to know she could turn into a dragon, but Legolas and Gimli were her friends. She didn't mind telling them.

"I had a feeling that was the case," Legolas said. "I didn't know that was possible though."

"Neither did I really, but we needed to deal with the Nazgûl," Katla said.

"Aragorn is gathering the leaders of the armies down on the field," Legolas said. "We're heading to see our Hobbit friends."

"I'll lead you there," Katla said. "I don't care much for the planning of war. I'll happily participate, but I don't handle planing very well."

"That makes us two then," Gimli said. "My axe grows restless. Talk might be good for men. I'd rather act."

Katla chuckled. She walked with them to the House of Healing where they found Merry and Pippin in the gardens. She kept to the background as they wandered around. As Merry got tired, they settled on the wall overlooking the city. Legolas looked to the river where gulls flew around. He spoke of his longing of the sea and how he wished to travel there.

The hobbits and Gimli seemed to want him to stay. They claimed the world would grow duller if the elves left.

"Don't worry so much," she said. "Many elves will stay for years to come. Hundreds of years pass by quickly for a people that live as long as they do. I wouldn't mind travelling the sea myself some day. I have travelled far over land, but I have never really gone far over the sea."

"Not you too," Merry said.

Katla laughed. "Don't worry," she said.

"Though you might go back home," Legolas said. "Did you not say Rhavaniel could get you back?"

"I did," Katla said. "And she can. I haven't decided if I want to leave here yet. Most likely I will stay with Rhavaniel for a while at least."

Merry looked down at the ground. "I wish this was all over," he said softly. "We won here is that not enough?"

"Not if we want to make sure that Frodo and Sam live through this," Katla said. "We have messed the Dark Lord's plans up, but we need to keep his focus on us. We don't want him to start looking at his own lands."

Merry looked up at her. "I did not think of that," he said.

"It's the little things that can make a difference," Katla said. "In reality though, all I need is to get to the gates. I'll tear down his tower myself as long as the armies of men can get me there."

"There is something I'm missing here," Gimli said. He gave Legolas a calculating look. "You know what it is," he said.

"I do," Legolas responded. He looked at Katla. "A grand dragon flew across the battlefield," he said.

"That was real?" Merry asked. "I thought I was hallucinating." He looked up at Legolas. "Come to think of it though, Rhavaniel was there I guess."

"She rode the dragon," Gimli said. "It is nowhere to be found now though."

"Could be because the dragon is a person," Katla said.

"The Dragonborn?" Pippin asked. "I've heard the men singing."

"Rhavaniel started it so they wouldn't be as afraid. It was a heads up," Katla said. "She changed the song a bit to make it fit. People sang it after I had killed Alduin."

"You were the dragon, Lady Katla?" Pippin asked.

"I was," Katla said. "That's why I said I just need to get to Mordor. I'll fly in and destroy the Dark Lord's tower and save our friends from in there."

"And no one will know it is you," Merry said.

Katla smiled at him. "That is the way I prefer it. You who are my friends will know, but no one else will. That way it will make a legend, but no one will bother me about it. I should have taken that approach in Skyrim too. It would have made my life easier."

Later that night they met with Aragorn. He told them of their plans. "We will march on Mordor," he said.

"Good," Katla said. "I believe that is the best road to take. We will come with you. Neither Rhavaniel nor I fear death if that is what is waiting for us."

Aragorn smiled softly at her. "Let's hope that is not the case," he said. He looked towards the mountains. "Are you sure your friend is there with them?" he asked.

"I'm sure," Katla said. "He'll take it slow and make sure they don't get spotted. If there is an entire army in there, they will be in his way. He'll make it around the orcs, but they would still be dangerous to the hobbits. It would be better if we could empty the place out."

"That's the plan," Aragorn said.

Katla nodded. "We're leaving tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Then I should go make sure Rhavaniel gets some rest. She won't be happy if we leave her behind, but she is exhausted," Katla said. She took off to let her friend know they would leave the next day. She almost had to carry the tired elf back to their house. Rhavaniel had been healing the wounded all day. Katla found one of her bottles, checked the potion and fed it to the Bosmer. She knew potions well enough to tell what was in a bottle. The one she gave Rhavaniel would help the elf regenerate her energy faster. She would be a bit tired the next day, but she would feel alright apart from that.

The army gathered the very next day. They would leave their wounded behind to heal up, and they left enough men to defend the city should they fail. Merry would stay and so would Faramir. Neither of them was fit enough to fight.

As they set out Katla realised just how slow an army was. She could walk leisurely next to them and keep up no problem. She sighed. It would take time to get to Mordor. She hoped Ra'shall was doing alright.

She didn't really need to worry. Ra'shall was slowly moving towards Mount Doom. He kept Frodo and Sam hidden beside him. They weren't moving fast, but they were steadily getting closer.

"Are you alright Master Frodo?" Sam asked concerned.

Frodo seemed to be weighed down by the ring he was carrying. Ra'shall had several times considered just carrying him the rest of the way. He probably would carry the skinny hobbit in the end. They stopped to get some rest and Ra'shall rationed out some water. "Stay here," he said. "I can hear a stream nearby. I'll get us some more water. You can drink what is left in that sack."

Sam gave him a grateful smile. He took another deep gulp from the bag. He was glad Ra'shall had joined them. He was a far better guide than Gollum had been. They didn't even have to wait for long before the Khajiit was back with filled water pouches. "It might taste a little strange, but it is clean," he said. "We should keep moving. A little up this way we can rest for a bit longer."

Mostly they were climbing. Ra'shall was taking them the long way around, but at least they were safe. He was hoping Katla had some kind of plan. It would take them forever to get to the mountain if they had to go around all the way. Frodo wouldn't make it. He was already fading. Ra'shall had considered just taking the ring and leaving the hobbits behind. He would unless something changed soon. He found a small cave that they could hide in for some rest.

…

Ra'shall's ears twitched. Something had just happened. He turned towards the gates. They were opening slowly. Then there was a thunderstrike in the distance. A vicious smile spread across his lips. "Rhavaniel is here," he said. "Come on." He reached out and lifted Frodo up. "I'll carry you there," he said. He turned to Sam. "Keep up as best you can," he said. He started moving quickly. The orcs they had been hiding from were moving away. There was a straggler or two that didn't make it past the quick bladed Khajiit. He could hear roaring in the distance. It sounded like a dragon. He really didn't feel like dealing with a dragon. He hoped Katla would take care of it. He slowly just a bit to allow Sam to catch up with him. He was still responsible for keeping the hobbits alive.

Ra'shall moved on in silence. He reached the foot of the mountain and waited there for Sam. "Just make it up the mountain," he told the tired hobbit. "I'm going to sprint. Katla and the others are fighting a losing battle out there. We need to destroy the ring. It will hopefully give them the advantage.

Sam nodded. "I'll be right behind you," he said determinedly.

"Eat more of that elf bread if you have any left. We're leaving this place with our friends," Ra'shall said. He looked up. "We'll be up there," he said.

"Go," Sam said. "Help Master Frodo throw that Ring away."

Ra'shall smiled. "I will," he said and then he was off. He used both hands and back paws to climb straight up the mountain. He found a path as he climbed higher. He wondered where it led. Maybe there was another way in. He would happily take an entrance that wasn't the very top of the volcano. He followed the path.

They reached an entrance. It had been built into the mountain. The design seemed old. He placed Frodo down. They couldn't just enter a volcano. Thankfully, Katla had warned him so he had spent quite some time as they travelled designing a potion. He had made sure they would be able to breath going into the volcano. He fed Frodo some of the potion before drinking some himself. It would protect their lungs from the poisonous fumes rising from the magma. He picked Frodo up once more and walked into through the big valved opening. He let the Hobbit down. Frodo walked forward slowly. He picked the Ring out and looked down at it.

"I have come here," Frodo said. "But now that I'm here, I choose not to do what I came here to do. I won't destroy it. The Ring is mine." He turned to Ra'shall. The Khajiit could see the madness in his eyes. Frodo took the Ring and put it on vanishing in the process.

Ra'shall rolled his eyes. He guessed he was supposed to step in now. He moved forward quickly. Frodo may be invisible, but that didn't stop the feline from smelling him or hearing him breathe. Ra'shall reached out and grabbed Frodo's shoulder. He reached down to his hand and pulled the Ring off. He threw it into the fire like it was a crumpled piece of paper. Then he lifted Frodo up and carried him out of the volcano. He found Sam still trying to make it up the Mountain.

"It is done," Ra'shall said softly. He placed Frodo down next to Sam. Underneath them he heard the mountain rumble. The volcano was going to erupt. "We could really use some help now," he breathed. He found a protrusion and made sure they were all settled on it. He couldn't outrun lava. Now he had to hope. ' _Katla, Rhavaniel,'_ he thought, ' _we could really use your help now.'_

Hours earlier Katla and Rhavaniel had arrived with the army. Aragorn and the other generals had quickly moved their forces into place. Rhavaniel moved with Aragorn and the rest towards the gate. She had some choice words for this so-called Dark Lord.

Katla, on the other hand, stayed behind. She already knew what she needed to do. She dismounted and disappeared in between the trees where the Rohirrim hid. No one noticed. Rhavaniel was having fun. She had created an illusion of the brunette riding next to her. They stopped before the great black gates. Aragorn issued a challenge, and Rhavaniel chuckled. The gates opened and a strange looking man made his way out. He spoke hauntingly to Aragorn while looking at each and every one of them. Then his eyes fell on Rhavaniel.

The Bosmer smirked. "Oh, you cannot see my mind, can you?" she said. "Not even with the help of your Master. You're a powerless worm. Did you really think we would turn aside now? You cannot win this. Call your Nazgûl. I call upon the Dragonborn." She had raised her voice as she spoke. Just as she uttered the last word a deafening roar travelled from the forest. A shimmering green dragon rose from among the trees. She flew forward. Fire spread from her gaping mouth burning the messenger to a crisp.

The Black Gates flew open. The Nazgûl appeared. Katla rose up in the air. Rhavaniel raised her hands and lightning struck the first ranks of orcs making their way out from those gates.

The last battle had begun.

Katla spun around and downed her first Nazgûl with his flying beast torn in pieces over him. She was quick to turn to the next beast. They were trying to spread fear around them. She wasn't going to let them. Her amber eyes caught her next prey.

Down on the ground, Rhavaniel was throwing ice javelins right and left at the oncoming orcs. She hadn't been able to prepare for this battle the way she had the previous one so she experimented. Fire and ice rained from her hands. Lightning struck at her command. Size didn't matter to her; ogres died as easily as orcs did.

Katla downed the last Nazgûl. She turned to Bara-dûr the tower of Sauron. Her great wings brought her up in the air and she flew towards the dark tower. Her roar was deafening as she reached the tower and the result was instantaneous. Stones broke off and fell to the ground. Pillars broke and slowly Bara-dûr collapsed in on itself.

Amber eyes turned westwards. The mountain Orodruin was bursting into flame. Great wings beat furiously bringing the dragon over to the volcano. Her sharp eyes scanned the ground. Ra'shall drew a blade as she landed in front of him. "Vul Kaaz," she said softly. The Khajiit lowered his dagger.

"Katla?" Sam said carefully. The dragon reminded him of the tall warrior as she had guarded Frodo against Galadriel in Lothloríen so long ago.

The dragon turned her head towards him. She moved forward slowly and bumped him with her snout.

"Okay, let's get on before the lava hits us," Ra'shall said. He lifted Sam up on her back and then Frodo before climbing up himself. "Well, Katla, get us out of here," he said. He was glad she had shown up. They would have melted if they had stayed much longer. Instead, they were now soaring in the sky above the battlefield with humans and orcs still fighting below them. The orcs were trying to retreat. They knew they had lost.

Katla flew in over the heads of the humans and roared. She sent the orcs into a panic. They fled back into Mordor. With a few beats of her wings, she moved over to the side of the army. Rhavaniel made her way to them. "We'll settle away from here. Aragorn told me. Let's go there before the others show up. You can turn back then," she said. She climbed up on Katla's back and they took to the air.

When Aragorn and the others arrived, Katla was sitting with her longtime friends beside her and the two brave hobbits sleeping soundly for the first time in a long while laying on the ground before her. Aragorn kneeled down next to them and placed a hand on Frodo's shoulder.

"He is fine just tired," Rhavaniel said. "They both are."

"We'll raise tents," Aragorn said. His eyes fell upon the new addition to Katla's party. He was as she had said cat-like. His fur was dark and his eyes a piercing teal. Aragorn knew it might be best to get him out of the view of the soldiers. He didn't look friendly. It seemed like the feline understood that himself. He drew up a hood that covered his face. It wasn't quite as visible how different he was anymore. Boromir led his own men in. He smiled as he saw Katla. "You were right," he said. He pulled her up to her feet and kissed her.

A low whistle sounded from behind the brunette. "I didn't know she would go get herself all caught up," a soft hissing voice said.

"He's had the hots for her for a while," Rhavaniel responded.

Boromir let go of Katla and she stepped to the side so he could see the other two. Ra'shall looked up. "You better know what you're gettin' yourself into if you're goin' to pursue Katla," he said with a glint in his eyes.

"Are you trying to threaten me?" Boromir asked.

"Nah, I'm just sayin'," Ra'shall said. "You mess around with her. She'll kill you."

Katla rolled her eyes. "Sweet Ra'shall," she said.

"Oh, you know me," the Khajiit answered. "I'm always sweet and cuddly."

Katla snorted. "Sure," she said. She hadn't know Boromir thought that way about her. Then again, she hadn't been paying attention. There had been more important things to do. A small smile played on her lips. She didn't mind seeing where this would take her. She liked him. He probably had a few years to prove himself in before Rhavaniel wanted to head home. he could probably convince her to stay.

There was a lot of work to do once more. Rhavaniel was stuck taking care of wounded. Thankfully she had Ra'shall with her this time and with him making potions she could heal people much faster.

Katla and Boromir headed back to Minas Tirith with a big part of the army. The battle was over, but if they didn't get men back to sow they would have a famine on their hands come Autumn. Now Katla took charge. She had grown up on a farm. It might have been a long time ago now, but she knew how it was done. They were behind schedule as it was. They had to get going. Some harvests grew faster. They would have to plant those.

By the time Aragorn and his company made it back to Minas Tirith, Katla had gotten the fields ploughed. She was working with everyone else. Boromir was watching her as he got the city ready. Aragorn would be taking over. He knew that. There was a lot that needed to be done with the shift of power. The war made it easier for him, but there was still a lot to do.

…

"Are you going to attend the coronation?"

Katla looked up at Rhavaniel. "Probably," she said. "You should as well."

Aragorn and Gandalf had disappeared for a few days after their return to the city. They had returned with a sapling replacing the white tree or King's tree in the courtyard of the citadel. With that Aragorn had proven he was truly the King and he was back.

Katla and Rhavaniel attended the coronation together. Boromir handed over the reign of Gondor to the new King. He backed away to stand next to Katla as his brother stood next to Éowyn across from him. Frodo brought forth the crown of the Kings of old and Gandalf placed it upon Aragorn's head. So he became King.

Not long after Ra'shall left Middle-earth. Only a small company were present when Rhavaniel set up the portal.

Frodo and Sam were there. They would never have made it without him. Frodo knew they would most likely have failed if it wasn't for him.

Katla walked up to her old friend. "I'm guessing this is goodbye," Ra'shall said. "You take care of yourself."

"You as well," Katla said. "Make sure you don't let this woman slip through your fingers. And use the house please."

Ra'shall smiled. "We will," he said. "I think she'll appreciate having somewhere private to go to." He sighed. "I'll miss you," he said. Then he smiled. "But I think it might be time we walk our separate ways."

Katla chuckled. "You think?" she said. She removed his sword from her belt. "I found this and made some updates to it," she said.

Ra'shall took the blade. He looked it over. A small smirk appeared on his face. "You coated it in Stalhrim," he said. Then he found a small lever. He pulled it. "A poison chamber," he said. "Thank you, I have been missing this."

"You were talking about it so I thought I'd fix it," Katla said.

Ra'shall stepped forward and hugged her. "Take care of yourself," he said. He turned to Rhavaniel. "See you soon," he said. Then he stepped through the portal before he started crying. He didn't feel like leaving that kind of impression on anyone. He would most likely never see Katla again. He took a deep breath and brushed his tears away. He would find To'ara as soon as he could. He had no idea how long they had been gone.

Back in Middle-earth Katla was smiling softly. She would miss him, but she knew things might have gotten complicated if they had done them differently. Rhavaniel had closed the portal. "What now?" she asked.

"We'll stick around for a while longer," Katla said. "Boromir has gotten some position up north-west. I'll probably go with him and have a look at it. We'll go with the Hobbits when they go home." She smiled at Frodo and Sam.

"Guess I'll come with you then," Rhavaniel said. "I'd like to take a look at the Shire."

Sam smiled. He liked the idea of having the ladies along when they went home.

A few days later Arwen and her father arrived. A wedding was planned and joy spread through Minas Tirith. Katla had smirked as they came. A crown had to be made for the Queen. the brunette had gone to the forge. Slowly she had created one out of Stalhrim for her. When she presented it to Aragorn, he laughed. "You had to outshine all smiths both elves and men," he said.

"I am quite good your Majesty," Katla said with a mischievous smirk.

Aragorn smiled at her. "Thank you," he said. "Please, would you present it to her."

Katla bowed. "I would be happy to," she said.

The wedding was a grand affair held out on the grassy plain before the city. Katla walked up with the crow once the vows had been made and she presented the crown to the Queen. "May this protect you and those who come after you for no King can stand alone without his Queen." She found it a little silly that women didn't seem to be able to inherit the throne. Maybe Aragorn would change that. She had enchanted the crown to protect the wearer. She didn't want the fair elf hurt.

People worked vigorously to mend the city from the wounds of war. The day before Katla and the rest were leaving Orden and his father approached the Nord.

"Will you take my son on as your apprentice?" the elder guard asked.

Katla looked at Orden. "I will not be staying in one place," she said. "We would be spending a lot of time on the road. Are you willing to do that?"

Orden nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he said. His father held out a pouch. "This is all I can pay you right now," he said.

Katla smiled. "I don't take pay," she said. "I won't teach someone who doesn't have the skill and determination to learn. Your son has both. I will teach him. There is no need to pay me." she turned to Orden. "We're leaving tomorrow. We're going with the Hobbits and with Lord Boromir. We'll travel far. You better pack for it."

Orden nodded. "I will, ma'am," he said.

His father stayed behind as he left. "Thank you," he told Katla. "I hope this will give him an edge and maybe it will allow him to settle down afterwards."

"I'll bring him back when he is ready," Katla said. "It might be a few years. Three or so I would guess. He will be good enough to hold his own business after that."

"I hope you're right. There is much to do."

Katla nodded. She knew.


	14. The Shire

The Shire

The party travelled Northwest slowly. They dropped off Éomer and his sister in Edoras on the way. Aragorn and Arwen stayed in Edoras as well. They came to stay a little longer than they had first thought they would. Faramir had asked for Éowyn's hand in marriage and they had been wedded. Katla had rolled her eyes at it. They barely knew each other. To her, that was no match made in heaven. If they didn't mind themselves, they would end up fighting a lot.

Once the parties were over, they travelled past Isengard and learned that Saruman had escaped somehow. Katla's eyes met Rhavaniel's and they shared a look of concern. They would have to keep their eyes open. Gimli and Legolas left the company to travel together through the caves of Helm's Deep and Fangorn Forest.

They found Saruman on the road with Grima wandering behind him. Gandalf simply spoke to the men, but Rhavaniel was not quite so forgiving. She rode forward and summoned a spear of ice in her hand. "Your poison will end here," she said. Se pierced his heart with the spear. She turned to Gandalf. "You may like forgiveness Gandalf," she said. "But I don't leave an enemy alive behind me. I don't care what you think of it." She didn't kill Grima though. He wasn't a threat. He had no power of his own.

The party travelled on.

They left Galadriel and Celeborn at the edge of Lothlórien. Rhavaniel and Katla made a promise to return soon. The Bosmer wanted to walk under those trees at least once.

Finally, they reached Rivendell where the Hobbits went to see an old friend. They stayed for several days and Katla spent many of those in the forges of the elves teaching Orden. He was an attentive student, and she taught him much.

Eventually, the Hobbits felt the need to continue home, however, and they left to go on the road once more. Only Gandalf travelled with them now. Boromir had gone on ahead to his new position. Katla would meet him there. Gandalf left them before they reached the Shire. He was going to have a talk with an old friend. Now only Katla, Orden and Rhavaniel were accompanying the Hobbits. They settled down for the night.

The next day they rode towards the Brandywine river. A spiked gate blocked their path. On the other side of it, houses had been built. "Those are not hobbit homes," Pippin said softly.

Katla nodded. "This is your home. We're just here as extra muscle if you need us, but you must take charge here," she said.

Pippin nodded. He rode up to the gate and knocked on it several times. At first, nothing happened. He noticed a sign telling people they weren't allowed in between sunrise and sundown, but that shouldn't be a problem now. It was midday after all. When the gate finally opened it was handled by a gruff looking hobbit who gave the company a hard glare.

Merry raised an eyebrow. He introduced himself to the hobbit, he called the man Hob. There was a bit of a happy reunion. They spoke for a short while then one of the hobbits in Katla's company said something that had Hob hushing them. "You don't want the Chief to hear you. He'll send his big men after you," he said.

Pippin raised an eyebrow. "I don't think we have to worry all that much. "We have our own muscle along to deal with anyone like that," he said and looked at Katla. She was wearing her armour, and she looked quite intimidating. "How about you get rid of this hobble of a gate for us," he said.

Katla chuckled she dismounted and tore the gate down. A horn sounded and two heavy-set men came huddling out of a building. Katla straightened up and walked towards the men. She was more than a head taller than them. She didn't draw her sword. She didn't need it. Her sheer determination seemed to frighten the men. One of them tried to attack her. She caught his weapon and ripped it out of his hand. "Leave," she hissed menacingly.

The men gulped and took off. Katla looked at the ugly houses. "We'll help you deal with those later," she said. "Let's just go straight in and take care of this."

Pippin nodded. "Let's," he said. "This is ridiculous."

They rode in and continued.

"We'd prefer to avoid blood being spilt here," Sam said.

Katla nodded. "Then it's is probably best that Rhavaniel and I deal with any of the big folk. What you do with troublesome Hobbits is up to you," she said. She hadn't mounted up again instead she walked quickly next to the hobbits. Whenever a human showed up she quickly scared him so badly he ran off. A huddle of Hobbits showed up eventually. The called themselves lawmen of some kind. This time it was Sam and Merry who dealt with them. Mostly by telling them how foolish they were and then ignoring them.

It didn't take long before the Hobbits around town noticed that Katla, Rhavaniel and Orden were quickly getting rid of the big folk. They were just ruffians really so they were far from a problem for them. They found many of them, but it mattered little to their party. There was a hurdle of Hobbits following them now. More and more people joined them as they kept moving towards Bag End where people had said the Chief stayed.

Katla stopped and turned to Pippin and Merry as they reached their destination. "How do you want to handle this?" she asked.

"Get the brutes out of the way," Pippin said. "Well go get whoever their leader now is." He and Merry walked forward. Men tried to attack them, but Katla stepped up and together with Rhavaniel she quickly took care of the gruff men. In the end, she drew her sword. It gleamed menacingly in sun. The huge blade was taller than most of the men. "How about you piss off or I turn you into fillets. And don't come back here. Lord Boromir of Dragon Hall is the protector of this realm. This land is protected by his reign. I suggest leaving before he hears of this."

"This lord of yours is very far away," one of the ruffians said.

"Maybe," Katla said. "But he is courting me so I suggest you don't anger me. I'll happily carry out my own justice on you." Her eyes started glowing and she spoke in dragon tongue. The men got up. Screaming, they ran off.

Merry and Pippin came back out. "There is no one here," Pippin said. "The men must have taken over."

"Then we'll just clear them out," Katla said. She turned to Rhavaniel. "Send the ravens, find them."

Rhavaniel nodded. She concentrated and birds of prey appeared around her. They flew off in all directions.

"Do you want to get started on restoration?" Katla asked Merry. "We can spread out among the little folk. If any men show up, we can take care of them.

"Please do," Merry said. "Though I believe Sam is better off leading the restoration work."

Katla nodded. She turned to Sam. "Let's get started Master Gamgee. Orden and I will help you set this right. What do you want us to start with?"

"Tearing down the big folk's houses," Sam said. "Try taking care of the wood. We can use that to men the hobbit holes."

Katla nodded. She brought Orden with her and taught him how to pull the houses down without damaging the boards too much. It didn't take long for the Hobbits to join them. Katla had placed her weapons aside, and she changed clothes from her armour at one point. It was a little too restricting for renovation work.

Together with carpenters from the Shire, Katla mended houses and fences. They worked on the inside and she worked on the outside.

Orden made what metal work they needed, and Rhavaniel helped Merry and Pippin search for any more men who were not supposed to be there. The renovation work took time, but with the help of the big folk that had come with Sam and his party the Hobbits rebuilt quickly. The best thing for the Hobbits was that none of the big folk wanted payment.

As the men had been driven out Rhavaniel turned to helping Sam with restoring the trees. She walked around the Shire singing softly as she planted acorns and seeds she had found from trees nearby. Any fruit seeds they had were taken care of and soon enough saplings grew out of the ground. Sam was grateful she was there. It would take a long time before the Shire was restored, but with the saplings growing all around at least they were on their way. He planted his gift from Galadriel. The seeds she had given him would grow beautiful trees that would keep some of the magic of Lothlórien alive.

Katla and Orden stayed through the winter to help the Hobbits, but Rhavaniel left both to let Boromir know what was going on and to see the world for herself. Katla stayed until after Sam had married Rosie Cotton. After the wedding had taken place she felt it was time to leave. it was the summer after they had won the war. She finally made her way to Dragon Hall where Boromir was slowly building a new city. The Hall had been completed first and then houses had spread out around it. It was the new capital of Arnor. No bigger cities had survived the long years so they had been forced to build anew. Katla and Orden went to work once more. The Nord had never been afraid of labour. She had built her own home in Skyrim. She could help the people build here.

Boromir smiled as he came walking up to her. She was carrying a log over to a house. The men had been suspicious of her, to begin with. They weren't used to women working like men. Katla quickly showed them that she was perfectly capable. She spent half the day helping the men build houses and the other half making furniture. She spent time with the women who would live in the houses then. She made sure they got what they wanted.

As Autumn came so did Rhavaniel. "They are leaving," she said.

Katla nodded. "I guess we should see them off," she said.

"It would probably be a good idea," Rhavaniel said. "I went to Lothlórien. It is a beautiful place, but it seems very sad for some reason."

"I think the trees mourn the elves leaving," Katla said.

"I guess that might be the reason," Rhavaniel said. She noticed Boromir walking down a road speaking to men ask he went. "So when are you marrying him?" she asked.

Katla shrugged. "I'm still taking a trip to the Lonely Mountain first," she said.

"To see Gimli?"

That was the idea."

"He might not be there."

"I know I will probably have to go to Helm's Deep first."

"I can go there and tell him."

"That would be nice." Katla offered the elf a smile.

The very next day they left for the Gray Havens. They caught up with the elven party heading there. Galadriel and Elrond were both going. Frodo was there with Bilbo and his friends rode around the wagon they travelled in. Even Gandalf was there. His time in Middle-earth had come to an end.

Katla kneeled down as Merry, Pippin and Sam finally learned that Frodo would be leaving with the elves and Bilbo. There were tears shed as the beautiful white ship left the harbour.

"And so leaves the ring-bearers," Rhavaniel said.

Katla nodded. "A new age begins as the old one ends. This is the age of men and Kings," she said.

They left the Haven never to return there.


	15. Under the Mountain

Under the Mountain

Katla placed a hand against the trunk of a giant tree. This forest was nothing like Lothlórien. It was dark and dreary. The air was heavy. Orden was walking behind her. He looked uncomfortable. "Elves live here?" he asked.

"Well they live on the other side of the forest," Katla said. "It might not be as bad over there. I have heard that this forest has improved."

"If this is improved I don't want to know what it looked like before," Orden said. He shuddered.

"Don't worry," Katla said. "There is nothing here that will harm us." She led them further in under the thick canopy. Her bow made its way to her hand. She knocked an arrow just in case. A river crossed their path The water was dark. Katla waded through it. She noticed there was something strange about it. She doubted it was healthy to drink it but didn't think it would harm them by just touching it.

Orden slept uneasily. He did not like the forest. He wished they were back out of it.

As they walked under the heavy trees, they noticed lights shining between heavy trunks. Katla turned from the path and walked up towards the light. She passed several of them quickly until she found the one she was looking for. Elves were dancing and singing. "Stay out of the light," Katla told Orden. She took a step forward and the light went out. " _ **Laas Yah Nir,"**_ she said softly. Red lights appeared in the glade. "You know I can still see you," Katla said in elvish. "The dark does not blind me. Your magic does not affect me. Legolas you should know that."

"Katla!" a voice sounded from the darkness. "Is that you?"

"If you would turn on the light again, you would see it's me," Katla said still speaking elvish.

Legolas called out a few orders and light spread through the glade once more. "Katla it is good to see you," he said as he made his way up to her.

"It is good to see you too, Legolas," Katla said. "Can my apprentice come in here now without setting your traps off again?"

"Oh, yes of course," Legolas said and Katla called Orden in. "You are heading to the mountain?" Legolas asked he had shifted to Westron as Orden joined them.

"Yes," Katla said. "We'll see if Gimli is right and I can teach his brethren something."

"Dwarves are stubborn I wish you luck trying to teach them anything," Legolas said. "For tonight you are guests in the halls of my father."

Katla bowed. "You honour us," she said. Her politeness grew from the fact that there were others watching them. She didn't feel like ending up on their bad side.

They stayed for a few days with Legolas before moving on.

On the fields of Dale, they met up with Rhavaniel and Gimli. "We'll go fish the dragon bones up first," Katla told them. "I can use them and so could the Dwarves."

They approached Long Lake.

"We need to circle to the east," Rhavaniel said. "The bones lay further that way."

Once they had found the spot they wanted, Rhavaniel and Katla dressed down and jumped in. Rhavaniel cast a spell that allowed them to breathe underwater and they dived. Men in the city of dale near them noticed what they were doing as the two divers emerged with bone and gold.

A small platoon of men came out of the city the following day. "That gold belongs to the Lord of the city," they said. "His ancestor slew the dragon."

Katla snorted. "Come back in a few days when we're done and pick it up. I don't want the gold or the jewels. You can have them if you want to," she said. They tried to be menacing, and she almost laughed at them.

The men seemed surprised, but they did not leave. They set camp only a few yards away from them. Katla didn't care. She continued going for the bones she wanted until they had most of the dragon. "The rest isn't all that useful. We can leave it," she said. She started sorting the bones. The next day she had sorted everything out and piled the gold and gems up in a neat pile.

Katla lifted one of the bone packs up. The others did the same. "Go ahead and take the gold," she told the men who looked at her like she was crazy. Why did she want old bones?

While the men watched them go with confused looks on their faces, Katla and the rest started making their way towards Erebor. They were weighed down. Their pace was slow. When they finally arrived they were greeted with warmth.

"I'll introduce you to my cousin," Gimli told Katla. "He has an open mind and will be more likely to listen to you than many of the others."

Wendil, Gimli's cousin, was a dark-haired dwarf with a sturdy frame and short beard. He gave her one look and then he invited her over to his forge. "So Gimli tells me you might know how to treat the black rock we're throwing away," he said gruffly. He handed her a piece of black stone.

Katla turned the piece over in her hands. She pulled her tools out of her bag and grabbed a hammer. She hit the piece. It shattered. She looked the shards over. "This is what we're looking for," she said. "Yes, I know how to treat this to make it harder than steel." She reached for her bag again and pulled her sword lose. She held it out to Wendil. "This is made from ebony. It is fossilized wood. The same material you just handed me."

Wendil studied the sword. "How about you show me how it's done," he said.

Katla nodded. "I'll bring my apprentice in as well. He there is no point in not teaching him while I'm at it."

While Katla demonstrated how to treat Ebony, Rhavaniel was wandering around. She heard a lot of different conversations as she walked around. Most of them were held in a language she did not understand. After some time she found a dwarf sitting by himself. He didn't seem like the friendliest of people, but something told her that was just the way it seemed. She sat down next to him. "People talk a lot," she said calmly.

"They're speaking of a human that is teaching one of our master smiths," the dwarf said. "They feel he is falling in graze. What dwarf could learn anything from a human."

"And you," Rhavaniel asked.

"I don't know. This human seems special somehow. She showed up with bones treating them like they were special," the dwarf said. "I will give her the benefit of the doubt. She might know a thing or two we don't. These young fools will be sad to have doubted her then. Wendil will make the most out of it. He has a nose for business."

Rhavaniel chuckled. "I have a feeling fortune is smiling on him," she said.

"You're the elf that came with the Lady blacksmith?" the dwarf said. "You know what she can do?"

"Of course," Rhavaniel said.

"Maybe I should tell my son to buy some of the black stuff up," the old dwarf said. "He wouldn't even have to sell it to Wendil expensive to make a good cut."

"See if he can get some contracts out of people the next few days. Wendil and he can surely come to some kind of agreement afterwards," Rhavaniel said.

The old dwarf laughed. "I'll tell him that lady," he said.

Rhavaniel chuckled softly. She didn't mind helping people out from time to time. She kind of liked hearing people scream in anger after being tricked as well. She probably liked that more.

Days passed and Katla worked tirelessly with Orden and Wendil. It didn't take the Master smith long to understand the technique she was using, but it was tricky to perfect.

After two months of work, both the young human and the masterful dwarf had perfected the art. The son of the elder dwarf Rhavaniel had spoken to had bought up and contracted all the Ebony in the mountain. His prices were fair and he and Wendil got along perfectly well.

The screams of anger from some of the other dwarves when Wendil showed just what he could do with the previously believed useless stone where like music to Rhavaniel's ears. She had to hold back laughter. She was sure they wouldn't appreciate it if she laughed at them. The peace between elves and dwarves was still a bit shaky. She didn't have to start a war.

Katla and her friends left not long after that. She brought Orden back home for a short while. He had decided to set up shop in Minas Dovah. The city Boromir was slowly having built-in Arnor. Katla and Rhavaniel left Minas Tirith to see Fangorn Forest and the Glittering Caves under Helm's Deep. Then the two friends went their separate ways. Katla headed back to Minas Dovah. She went back to help with the building.

Summer came and went.

Katla was sitting outside the city with a tankard in one hand. She was enjoying the view. Arnor was a beautiful place. In some ways, it reminded her of home. She felt Boromir walking up behind her. He sat down next to her. They sat in silence for a long time.

"Will you marry me?" Boromir asked after a while.

"Yes," Katla answered.

"We should send missives to Minas Tirith and Emyn Arnen," Boromir said. "We can give them two months to get here."

"I guess we could," Katla said calmly. "I'll send a missive to our friends in the Shire as well."

…

The wedding was simple. Katla became the Queen of Arnor. She had somehow ended up a co-ruler despite not really wanting to. She guessed it was alright though. She would have needed to settle down at some point.

Time passed. Their first child was a girl. They named her Nerina. She would have a brother and a sister eventually. Rasha and Clarissa.

Nerina was five when Rhavaniel decided it was time to go home. Katla was the only one there when she opened the portal.

"Goodbye," Katla said as she hugged the redhead. She moved back and held the elf at arm's length. "Does the father know?" she asked.

Rhavaniel shook her head. "No, he'll leave for the Havens soon enough. He wouldn't make it in Skyrim anyway," she said. "I figured being a mother wouldn't be so bad. I don't need a man to drag around though."

"Who is it?" Katla asked.

"Does it matter?" Rhavaniel asked.

"I guess not," Katla said. "Say hello to Ra'shall for me."

"Oh, I will," Rhavaniel said.

"And watch out for the kittens."

"You think there will be a lot of them?"

"Who knows," Katla said with a laugh.

"I'll let him know how you're doing," Rhavaniel said. She walked up to the portal. "Live well," she said before stepping through. She travelled through darkness for some time before stepping out on a snowy mountain.

Part of her wanted to go see Ra'shall right away, but she knew she would have to get the College back in order first. It was a mess, but she was strict. She made sure everything returned to her standards.

Months later she was finally heading to Lakeview Manor. Spring was slowly creeping into Summer. Flowers painted the landscape. Rhavaniel breathed in the crisp mountain air. It was good to be home. As she came closer to the house Katla had built, she could hear laughter. A young Khajiit came running past her. She raised an eyebrow.

"M'ato. Ma'kate!"

Rhavaniel could see the front door now. A silver-furred Khajiit was standing in the front door. She was drying her hands on an apron. It was most likely time for lunch. Her green eyes moved to meet Rhavaniel's. "Welcome to Lakeview Manor," she said softly. She tilted her head to the side. "You are Rhavaniel, yes?"

"I am," Rhavaniel said.

"Ra'shall your elven friend is here!"

Ra'shall came walking out of the house with a smile on his face. "It has been too long, Rhavaniel," he said. He walked up to her and gave her a hug. "How are things?"

"Well enough," Rhavaniel said. She was invited in and the two of them spent several hours talking. Rhavaniel made sure to update Ra'shall on Katla's life.

"It seems like she's happy," Ra'shall said. "That is good."

Rhavaniel nodded. "She is," she said.

Katla was happy. She obviously didn't give up on travelling around just because she had children. She did wait until they were all old enough to come along though. Her daughters were just as good as her son in battle. Not that it happened often.

Peace spread across the lad under Aragorn's rule.

Eventually, as time passed and Nerina would come to take over after her father as the ruler of Minas Dovah. She was fair and just. The people loved her.

When Boromir died Katla left the city. She had stayed with him as he had grown older and faded while she still seemed young. She knew there were rumours going around. She didn't want to stay. The dragon blood in her veins had lengthened her life. She travelled across the lad once more. She saw many of her friends. She passed the Greenwoods and the Lonely Mountain before ending up in Minas Tirith where she would live for a time with Aragorn and Arwen.

Then one day as news reached her of a brewing darkness in Mordor, she gave Aragorn her armour and sword to hold for her daughter together with a letter. She didn't say much. She just told him she would deal with the unrest caused once more by the orcs. Then she walked out of the citadel never to be seen again.

The people of Ithilien claimed to have seen a dragon flying over the forest and into Mordor that day.

Tales would come to spread of a dragon living in Mount Doom watching over the land.

Mordor changed.

Orcs who hadn't wanted to follow Sauron came to live there. Humans mistrusted them at first, but eventually, the people of Ithilien started trading with them. A shaky peace was erected between the two races. Maybe Orcs had their place in the world too.

At times the Orcs would come to speak of a flaming guardian. She was the God, their protector. She made sure no orc had to live under the cruel rule of one who only wanted to destroy the world ever again.

The Dragonborn protected Mordor from evil. Only Aragorn's and Boromir's bloodlines knew who the dragon was.

As time passed a few of Katla's descendants would come to join her. They were Dragonborn too.

The legend spread.


End file.
